Into the Night
by x0-vindicated-0x
Summary: It took mere luck to get them together. But it only took a split second to tear them apart. -Dasey-
1. Prologue

**This is my new story. I was having some writer's block, but I'm hoping that's passed by now. Anyway, this chapter is super boring, because it's a prologue to everything that happened beforehand. So please just bear with me. Once you get through this chapter, I promise the plot comes out immediately. And this plot is one that's going to change completely about six chapters in, so that should be good. Anyway, give this a try, please!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter One: Prologue**

High school could be unbearably predictable, at times. There was always that one crowd of people, the ones who were accepted by everyone, and the ones that everyone looked up to and idolized. Mostly, they were the jocks and the cheerleaders, the ones who were just expected to be popular. There was the odd few people that were popular by association, and Casey McDonald had usually been one of them. At first, she had been associated at 'Derek's stepsister', or 'Sam's girlfriend'. Over time, she had transitioned to more than that. She had gone from Sam to Max, and dating the quarterback had eventually boosted her popularity to a whole new level. After she had made the cheerleading squad, she'd basically achieved her own popularity.

Being crowned homecoming queen was also a key factor to her newfound popularity. That had been last year, that her and Max had been named homecoming king and queen, of course,

This year, it was already rumoured that Casey would be earning the title for a second year in a row. But her king wasn't going to be Max, this year. It was almost certain that it would be her new, equally as popular and desireable boyfriend, Derek Venturi.

The two of them had started going out about eight months before, about two months after her and Max had broken up. They'd broken up for good reason; Max was a complete jerk to her. He'd been fine at first... sweet, funny, caring, when he remembered to be. But eventually, he'd turned into a jerk. He'd started blowing off their plans almost twice a week, he'd started yelling at her for no good reason, and the worst thing, he'd started pressuring her for sex. She'd told him countless times that she wasn't ready, but the truth was, she was lying. She was ready, but she wasn't really sure she wanted her first time to be with Max. Truth be told, she hadn't liked him all that much when they had started going out. But when her and Sam broke up, she had felt like she was lost. She had no boyfriend, no one who cared about her like he had. Sure, her and Sam hadn't been perfect, but at least she'd had someone. She felt guilty for leading Max on like she did, but she wasn't being completely dishonest. She did like him... she just didn't like him as much as she was supposed to, and as much as she claimed she did. But when things had gotten bad, she'd began to have second thoughts on even staying with him.

The very end of their relationship had been the final straw for her. They had been arguing over something- she couldn't even remember what it had been about- and things had gotten pretty heated. They had been in Casey's room, arguing, when Max had finally snapped, and hit her. He'd claimed to feel bad afterwards, and it hadn't been that bad of a hit. It had only been enough for a slight bump to form on her arm, along with a couple of bruises, but he was her boyfriend; he wasn't supposed to do that sort of thing to her. He had apologized, and said that he hadn't meant it, he'd just lost control, but she hadn't been willing to listen to him. She had yelled at him to get out, and when he finally did, she had locked her door, and spent an hour and a half in her room, crying. She had fallen asleep shortly after, her tears staining her pillow.

She could remember that day very well, for it had been one of the most important days of her life. When she hadn't shown up for supper, Derek had picked her lock, and gone into her room to find her sleeping. Apparantly, her face had been red, her hair had been messy, and her arm had been bruised up. Judging by the fact that her pillow was stained with tears, and he had been home to hear her yelling at Max earlier, he had put two and two together. He'd guessed what Max had done, and without even waking Casey, he had left the house, and found Max. She had woken up four hours later to find him sitting in her bedroom, fuming mad as he sat up against her doorway, on the floor.

- - - -

_Casey allowed herself to wake up as slowly as possible, not wanting to face the fact that this was all real; it was really happening. As much as she was relieved that all of the bullshit she had been taking from Max lately would finally be over, the thought of having absolutely no one scared her more than staying with Max ever could. She knew that, by breaking up with Max, she was left with nobody. Sure, half of the guys in school would get with her in a heartbeat, and while that was sort of flattering, she wanted a relationship built on more than a physical attraction, like her own attraction to Max had been. She wanted something with substance, something that actually meant something. And she knew that most of the guys in her school were too shallow to even bother to get to know her. She knew exactly what they all wanted, and it wasn't something she was willing to give them. She wanted a relationship. She wanted something solid._

_She sighed into her pillow, her eyes tired from fatigue, combined with her long crying spree earlier. She allowed herself to slowly open her eyes up, deciding it was best to face her problems front on. She could feel her arm throbbing, and she knew that there must be a rather large bruise or bump there, by now. She rolled her eyes at the drool stain on her pillow, disgusted with herself. _

_"Ugh," she mumbled as she pushed herself away from the affected spot slightly. "Just lovely." _

_"What's lovely?" _

_Casey jumped, and looked across the room to see Derek sitting on her floor, leaning against the door casually. He had his hands in the pocket of his sweater as he looked over at her, concern showing in his features. She was staring at him, feeling suddenly self-concious. Here she was, with no makeup on, her eyes probably still swollen from crying, her hair in a total state, and she was drooling. Sure, Derek seen her every morning in a similar state, but for some reason, she felt violated by his presence. _

_"What are you doing here?" she asked, as she sat up on her bed cross-legged, drawing the blanket up around her shoulders. "Don't you know the meaning of privacy?" _

_Derek raised an eyebrow, looking slightly offended by her words, but trying to pretend as though they had no affect on him. _

_"Well sorry, Princess," he mused, and she rolled her eyes at his immediate sarcasm. "-but I actually did something quite noble, if you don't mind."  
_

_"Derek, and noble aren't exactly two words I usually associate together," she commented truthfully. When he merely stared, she sighed, shaking her head. "Okay, fine. Tell me what you did." _

_Derek grinned, reaching for a package of cookies that he had obviously brought into her room. Stuffing one into his mouth, he shrugged his shoulders, though he looked smug about something. _

_"I beat the crap out of that asshole that has the audacity to call himself your boyfriend," Derek said, anger flickering through his eyes even as he said it. He didn't notice Casey's eyes widen in horror as he went on. _

_"The little bastard had the nerve to make you cry, so I decided maybe he'd like to shed a few tears too, since he likes them so much." _

_Casey was completely freaking out, and Derek was oblivious to it all. She was staring at her triumphant stepbrother in shock and horror, praying that he was lying again, or pulling some sort of pointless prank on her. She didn't want what he had said to be true. She didn't think it would be best for him to have beaten up Max. _

_"Please tell me you're kidding," she said, and the smile on his face quickly faded away into panic as she shook her head, her face completely pale. He bit his lip, feeling suddenly nervous. _

_  
"Um, I could tell you that... but I'd be lying." _

_His voice was small and sheepish as he spoke, almost as though he suddenly wasn't as confident as he had been only moments before. He watched as she threaded her hands through her hair, bowing her head down slightly as she processed what Derek had just told her. She was breathing deeply, and he tilted his head a little, concerned._

_"Uh, Case?" he questioned, wondering why she was suddenly rendered speechless. "Case, you okay?" _

_"You're an idiot," she murmered, tears in her eyes. She wouldn't look up, because she was absolutely terrified of letting Derek see her cry. She didn't like crying in front of him, anymore. He hated tears; he had made that much very clear to her anytime she displayed emotion around him. She figured she might as well save herself a lecture, and just keep her tears hidden from him. _

_  
But Derek clearly wasn't going to accept this as his answer, and he shook his head, pushing himself up off of the floor. He crossed the room to sit on her bed, making a point of sitting a good foot or so away from her. He didn't want to seem like he cared too much. _

_"What did I do?" he questioned, slightly offended. "Why am I an idiot?"_

_Her shoulders shook gently as she cried, and he could feel his heart breaking every single time she drew in one of those shuddery breaths. He had only wanted to help her, and it killed him to think that he had just hurt her even more. _

_"Casey, talk to me," he said, placing a hand on her shoulder. When she jumped, and yanked her arm away, his eyes widened, and he shook his head, blushing deeply as he drew his hand back as quickly as possible._

_"Sorry," he said, realizing that she was probably a little on edge, right now. "But seriously, why are you mad at me? I was only trying to help." _

_Casey shook her head again, raising her gaze to meet his. Even though he had already known she was crying, it still hurt to see the tears running down her face. He cringed when there was anger and fear in her voice. _

_"Do you have any idea what he's going to do the next time I see him?" she questioned, and his face darkened considerably at the meaning of her words. "Do you think he's just going to say 'Oh hey, your stepbrother beat the crap out of me, but let's do dinner tonight'?"_

_Derek was silent for a moment as he seen the fear flickering across her pretty features. He was speechless; he hadn't thought about that. But when he didn't answer, his stepsister rolled her eyes at his silence, and shook her head at him, her anger blatantly clear. _

_"I can tell you now, he's not gonna be happy with me, Derek," she informed him, and he bowed his head shamefully. "So thanks, you know? Thanks alot. It started out as a tiny problem, and you just made it a hell of alot worse than it had to be." _

_Derek snapped then. He wasn't going to sit there and watch her freak out at him, over something he had done purely in her honour, and in her defence. He wasn't someone who took bull from anyone, which was sort of why he'd done this in the first place. Nobody got to mess with Casey except him, and especially in this sort of way. He'd never do this to Casey. She may be uptight and annoying sometimes, but she didn't deserve to be abused by someone who was supposed to care about her. _

_"Um, point number one," he started, reaching for her sleeve, and pushing it off to the side to reveal an assortment of dark purple and blue bruises. She was blushing like crazy, and she cringed as she pulled away from him. _

_"-this," he said, shaking his head as she scowled, and pulled her sleeve back down to hide what he already seen. "-yeah, it's not what I would call a tiny problem. I'd call it assault, or abuse. Point number two, I didn't make a damn thing worse. And lastly, if you think I'm just going to stand by and let him come after you because of something I did, you're crazy. I'm not gonna let him touch you, Case." _

_Casey snorted, looking half taken aback by her stepbrother's words. She brought her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them as she tried to process what he had just said. She couldn't find it in her to believe that he cared at all about her. _

_  
"You?" she stressed, giving him a disbelieving look. He merely stared at her, and she laughed, shaking her head. "Derek, you'd walk barefoot over scalding hot lava-rocks before you'd stick up for me. You don't give a damn about me, as you frequently remind me of." _

_Derek looked slightly offended, and he frowned at her, surprised that she didn't believe him. Then again, he knew he shouldn't be surprised. It's not like he usually did anything that would hint that he actually cared about her, but he did. As much as he couldn't stand her sometimes, and as much as he wished she had never moved into his house, he knew that she was a nice girl, and that she didn't deserve half of the crap Max had been throwing at her for awhile now. And he'd seen it all. The fights that they'd get into were so horrible sometimes that he'd find himself blasting the music in his room to drown them out. He'd seen her get ready for special dates sometimes, places that Max had told her he wanted to take her to apologize for their most recent fights. And then he'd watched the beautiful smile on her face shatter when her boyfriend didn't show up, or when he called to tell her he'd have to cancel. He'd heard Max yelling at Casey from down the hall sometimes, and when he had the courage to look up and see Casey's scared eyes, he always found a strange urge inside of him to go over and help her out, and get Max to stop hurting her like he did. He often wondered why Casey even stayed with the guy, because really, he was an absolute asshole. But he wasn't supposed to care, so he never did anything about his stepsister's unfortunate situation. He merely sat by and watched them fight, listened to her cry herself to sleep, or watched her mope around the house because her boyfriend had forgotten about another one of their dates. But tonight, Max had gone too far. It definitely pushed the limits of what Derek was willing to ignore. So when he looked Casey in the eye, he knew that he had to convince her that he was with her on this matter, that he was going to help her out. _

_"Max went too far, Case," he said, watching as her eyes widened, and she paled, her eyes glued to his face. "You're right on one thing. Normally, I'd just rather let you live your life, while I live mine, but this is something I'm not willing to turn away from. Abuse is serious, Casey." _

_She stared at him for a moment, as though thinking hard. Maybe if she acted completely oblivious to it all, if she just pretended like she didn't have a clue what he was talking about, he'd buy it. He wasn't the brightest guy on Earth, right? Who knows? Maybe he'd just give up and leave her alone. Of course, that wouldn't stop Max from being mad at her, but it would most definitely get him off of her back. _

_So, pulling the most clueless face she could summon up, she shook her head, frowning. _

_  
"What are you talking about, Derek?" she asked, and his frown only grew wider as she continued. "There isn't any abuse in our relationship. Max loves me; why would he ever hit me?" _

_Derek stared at her for a moment, bewildered, and for a moment, she thought she'd fooled him. He was studying her so carefully that she almost thought he was searching for dishonesty. If he was, he found it, because it only took a second for him to narrow his eyes at her, and glare. _

_  
"Don't even bother lying to me," he said, his voice angry. "I don't like being lied to, especially after I did something so nice for you." _

_"I didn't ask you to do anything for me," she snapped bitterly, shaking her head at him. She knew there was no sense in lying, because he could see right through her. So, deciding to just be upfront with him, she stood up on shaky legs, and pointed towards the door. _

_"I can handle my own problems just fine, thanks," she said angrily, watching as his cheeks grew red. Whether it was with anger or embarassment, she couldn't immediately tell, but the second he stood up and started yelling back at her, she figured that it was anger. _

_"Well excuse me for being a nice guy, for once!" he yelled, his anger growing as she rolled her eyes, folding her arms across her chest. "Don't roll your eyes at me, because I'm not done. You spent the past two years bitching at me, because I'm always a jerk. And when I try to do something right, you yell at me. Which is it, Casey? What would you like me to do?"_

_She calmed down a little, recognizing that maybe she had jumped the gun a little bit, and maybe she was taking this to extremes. But she still didn't want him to get involved, so she shook her head, unfolding her arms as she let them fall carelessly to her sides. _

_  
"I want you to leave," she said quietly, her voice showing no emotion. "This doesn't involve you." _

_Some of Derek's anger faded away as his face lost some of it's rage, and he took a step towards her. _

_  
"Casey," he began, but she shook her head, holding back tears. _

_"Please, just go," she said, nodding towards the door. "I know how to handle myself." _

_He stared at her for a moment, as though contemplating whether or not he should argue with her about this some more, but it was evident that he had reached his decision when he bit his lip gently, nodding. He looked as though this was the last thing in the world he wanted to be doing, but he knew that when she made up her mind on something like this, there was no arguing with her. _

_"Okay," he said reluctantly, backing up a little. "Fine. I'll leave you alone. But if you need my help..." _

_"I'll know where to find you," she said, with a tiny smile, however forced it may have been._

_He nodded, placing his hands in his pockets awkwardly. _

_  
"Alright," he said, shrugging. "Uh, see you later, then." _

_"Right." _

_Without another word, Derek turned his back to her, and walked slowly towards the door, wishing with all of his heart that she'd change her mind. She may be Casey, but he wanted to help her through this. He didn't want to see her get involved in some sort of consistantly abusive relationship. But she wanted him gone, and he had to respect her wishes. _

_He had his hand on the doorknob by the time she called out to him, her voice slightly kinder than it had been all along. _

_"Derek?" _

_He turned around, hopeful, and was relieved to see that she didn't look angry, merely grateful. _

_"Yeah?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow. "What is it?" _

_She merely smiled, nodding her head at him contently. _

_"Thank you." _

_- - - - _

Casey hadn't known, at the time, that the guy she had been so set on shoving out of her life, the guy who she had yelled at for protecting her, would turn out to be one of the most important people in her life, months later. Derek had been true to his word, and had tried to stay as uninvolved as possible. Casey had somehow found it in her to give Max a second chance, figuring that maybe he wouldn't do it again. But she had been proved wrong the very next day, when Max had gotten angry with her for her getting her stepbrother after him. He had called her pathetic, and he'd called her a snitch. And then he'd hit her again.

And after that day, it was like he had known who was in control. If he wanted to hit her, he was going to hit her. She tried her hardest not to do anything that would get him angry, but the abuse continued for well over a month, before Derek finally snapped. He had seen the bruises forming on Casey's arms, and even on her stomach, when she was daring enough to wear a short tank top in the house- usually when she thought no one else was home. Max was smart, Derek had to admit that. He'd only hit her in places that were easy to cover up with sweaters and long sleeve shirts. And he made damn sure that nobody would see the bruises. If he so much as caught a glimpse of Casey walking down the hall with any of her bruises revealed, he'd pull her aside roughly to demand she put on a sweater. He'd get mad if she didn't have one with her, and on several occassions, Derek had waited until Max was gone to slip her his own jacket. She always thanked him, and he noticed, over the course of that month, how much she had changed. She soon knew better than to go to school without a sweater on, even if it was warm out. She'd know better than to talk to another guy, because that would get Max angry. She'd know not to dare argue with him on anything. She knew not to even attempt eating lunch, because Max claimed that she had been 'putting on a few pounds'. Derek seen it as the opposite. That month, he'd seen how all of her clothes had grown baggy on her, and at dinnertime, when it was his turn to serve, he'd always try and put a little bit extra on her plate. She had changed from a very independant and opinionated feminist, to a girl who was too scared to even open her mouth to say how she felt.

And about a month after he had promised her not to get involved, he had decided he couldn't take it anymore. He'd told Casey that he'd had enough, and he had then gone to find Max. He said he'd call the cops. He told Max that if he ever touched Casey again, or even attempted to talk to her, he'd find himself six feet under in no time. Max hadn't taken this well, and had made a swing at Derek. That was his first mistake. Derek had freaked out, and wound up breaking Max's nose. He'd merely left the guy there, lying on the football field where he'd been practicing, and had gone home to Casey. He'd comforted her, and told her that she didn't have to worry about Max anymore. And whether or not she was just fed up with it all, or she just wanted someone to care, she allowed him to stay with her that whole night. He'd stayed in her room, and Derek had ordered in some Chinese food, since their parents and siblings had been gone to stay with Derek's uncle that weekend. They'd watched about three movies, and Derek had seen her laugh for the first time in weeks. They had both fallen asleep at around four o'clock in the morning, lying on her floor with 'Juno' playing on Casey's laptop.

She'd broken up with Max the next day. She'd known that it was for the best, and Derek had assured her that he'd help her if Max decided to get angry with her over it. But surprisingly, they hadn't heard a word from Max since. Casey was pretty sure he had said something cruel to her as he passed her in the halls the next day, but she had never been sure, and she didn't care. Derek was true to his word, and had stood by her every step of the way, until she was almost fully back to her old self.

And somewhere down the line, between the movies, and the hours they spent talking, and the nights they'd stay up late to play XBOX, and the little wrestling matches they'd get into, they'd fallen for each other. Neither of them knew for sure who had started having feelings for the other first, but Derek had always figured it was him. He'd started liking her pretty soon after she'd dumped Max. But it could've been her, just as easily. And while neither of them were positive, they didn't care. All they knew was that- about a month after she'd broken up with Max, Derek had asked her to go out on a date. She'd agreed, and by the time they'd reached their third date, he'd asked her to be his girlfriend. She'd been perfectly happy with agreeing to that, on one condition; she wasn't going to lie. Derek had been slightly reluctant to tell their parents, but he had decided that, if this was the only way to have her, he'd do it. So they'd told their parents together, and while neither one of them was too happy with the idea, it had grown on them. They'd been freaked at first, and there had been much discussion over the first few days about having Derek stay with his mother, if this didn't stop. Those few days had been a scary time for both Derek and Casey, and they had spent those nights locked up in his room, talking about what would happen if they were seperated. But their parents had come around, and had decided to 'give things a try', or so they put it.

And it had worked out perfectly. Sure, they still encountered the odd person who called it wrong, and thought they were sick in the head, but they both knew better. The kids at school had slowly accepted what was happening, and some claimed that they'd seen it coming ages ago. Their parents had slowly started to accept them, and eventually found peace in what was a much more agreeable Casey and Derek.

Casey was snapped out of her thoughts that afternoon, as she heard someone enter her room, and close the door behind them. The person crossed the room to the window, where she was standing, and she felt strong arms wrap around her waist, hugging her close to the person's chest.

"What are you doing?" Derek asked, his chin on her shoulder as she placed her hands over his on her stomach, and stared out the window.

She shrugged, a half smile on her face.

"Nothing, really," she replied, shaking her head. "I was just thinking about some stuff, that's all."

Derek smirked, kissing her neck softly.

"Thinking about me?"

She grinned, rolling her eyes at his obviously over-inflated ego.

"No, Captain Stupid," she said, and he frowned, offended. "Well, not exactly. I was sort of just thinking about how we got together and stuff, you know?"

Derek relaxed, giving a gentle laugh that sent vibrations through her back, which was against his chest.

"Yeah," he noted, shaking his head. "Thank God for the idiot who was too cocky to see what he had, huh? I should thank Max. Do you think he'd like a thank you card? I mean, If it wasn't for him being a complete asshole, I'd never have you."

Casey laughed gently, shaking her head as she leaned her head back on Derek's shoulder.

"I don't think they've got cards for that sort of thing," she said, and frowned. "But it'd be pretty cool if they did."

Derek smirked, before placing his hands on her waist, and turning her around to face him. He was grinning at her as he shifted closer, pressing her up against her wall gently.

"Know what else would be cool?" he asked, raising an eyebrow suggestively. He let his lips brush to hers gently, before pulling back happily. "If you were to skip all that homework I know you're going to sit here and do all night, and make out with me instead."

She stared at him for a moment, and as she leaned in closer to him, he thought for a split second that he'd won. She was smirking, and he closed his eyes, anticipating the feeling of her warm lips on his. But instead, he felt her hands press against his chest, and he was pushed away from her softly. He opened his eyes to see her laughing at him.

"You don't know me at all, do you?" she chuckled, before crossing the room, and lying down on her bed, opening up a math book that had been lying there for the past twenty minutes, untouched. She looked up, seeing that he was still staring at her, and she grinned, nodding towards the door.

"Either come over here to study with me, or get out," she said as kindly as possible. "Finals are in less than two months, and if you think for one minute that I'm giving up any study time, you're insane."

Derek blinked a couple of times, before sighing, and slumping his shoulders in defeat. He joined her on the bed, propping a biology book up against his knees as he pretended to be studying it. Who started studying this early, anyway?

He sighed, glancing down at Casey, who was completely engrossed in her textbook, her fingers tapping subconciously against her chin as she read. She glanced up long enough to see him looking at her, and she frowned, nodding towards the book.

"Stop looking at me, and study."

Without another word, he turned his eyes back to the page he was trying to read about the human heart.

Yep, the girl had him completely whipped. But since he knew that he was always rewarded for being good while she studied, he decided that he didn't mind so much.

It would make summer all the more promising.

* * *

**As I said, sorry for the incredibly boring prologue, but you guys need to get the background information to understand the story. So the plot will pick up next chapter, and after that, it's gonna be a bumpy ride! So stick with me, please! Reviews are very much appreciated. **


	2. Protection

**So I must warn you, I almost considered upping the rating, but I figured that a warning might be enough. This story does have alot of violence, alot of cursing, and there are a few mature themes, such as in this chapter. If you're uncomfortable with that sort of thing, you might not like this story. Anyway, now that I have warned you, let us move onwards. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own a thing. **

**Chapter Two: Protection**

If there was one thing that always lingered on Casey's mind, whenever she kept something from Derek, it was that he hated being lied to. He'd told her so when she'd tried to lie about what Max had been doing to her, and he took no pause in telling her whenever he suspected that there was something she was not telling him. He didn't like being decieved, and while she wasn't exactly lying to him, she wasn't being honest with him, either. She'd been hiding something from him for two weeks now, and she knew that it was probably time she just let it all out.

So when her and Derek got home from school that day, she brought him up to her room, and closed the door behind her. She was beyond nervous, but she knew that this was something that had to be done.

Derek was watching her with curiousity, his eyes sparkling with interest. He stood by the foot of her bed, his hands stuffed carelessly into his pocket as she slowly walked across her room, and laid her bookbag down next to her computer desk, so that she could get her homework done over the weekend. She tossed her jacket onto the back of the computer chair, before taking a seat on it, her eyes set on the floor. She must have looked distracted, because Derek raised an eyebrow, frowning.

"Um, am I up here for a reason, or can I just go play Babe Raider now?"

She looked up, and saw that he had an amused grin on his face. She normally would've smiled, because he looked absolutely adorable, but she couldn't find it in her to do it as she shook her head, nodding towards her neatly made bed.

"Sorry," she apologized, sighing. "Sit."

He raised an eyebrow, smirking.

"Kinky," he said, flopping down onto her bed on his back, his arms behind his head. "Am I getting some sort of surprise, or something? You know I love surprises."

"Surprise is one word for it," Casey muttered under her breath, but Derek didn't even hear her as he rambled on.

"I mean, my birthday isn't for another month, but I'm not complaining," he stopped abruptly, tilting his head up to look at her. "So are you gonna come over here with me, or not?"

Sighing, she stood up and made her way over to her bed, sitting cautiously on the edge of it. Derek smiled up at her, and from his spot on the bed, he rolled over, wrapping his arms around her waist to pull her down. She jumped a litte, not even paying attention, but he didn't notice as he kissed a spot against her neck, laughing into her skin.

"Why so quiet, Missy?" he laughed, giving her body a gentle squeeze. "I'd say the cat got your tongue, but that won't work. No one gets access to your tongue but me. And yes, you can take that as a hint."

She smiled softly at his innuendo, but shook her head at him as she struggled to sit up a little bit straighter.

"Derek," she argued, laughing. "Come on. Try to be serious, please."

"I am being serious," he said, nodding. "There's nothing more serious than me wanting to make out with you for the rest of the afternoon, right?"

Rolling her eyes, she shook her head, and he loosened his grip on her a little, his smile fading into a frown as he caught sight of the concern in her eyes. He seemed to realize then that something was up, and funny Derek transitioned to concerned Derek in about two seconds flat.

"Case?" he questioned, his eyes concerned. "Okay, I really am being serious now, I promise. What's wrong? Is everything okay?"

She considered saying yes, but that would be shooting down a golden oppurtunity, and she was well aware of that. She could use his concern to try and get a kick start on telling him what it was she needed to tell him.

So she summoned up her courage, and swallowed hard as she shook her head, indicating that something was wrong.

"No," she said quietly, her voice a low murmer. "Everything isn't okay. I've... I've gotta tell you something."

Derek let go of her, and sat up straight on the edge of her bed, right next to her. Placing one hand on her upper thigh, he frowned, studying her features carefully.

"Does this have anything to do with me putting paint in the showerhead yesterday and turning your hair blue? Because I swear, I thought it would come out easier than that."

Shaking her head, she spoke up, cringing at the memory of it.

"No, it's not about that," she assured him, before giving him a dirty look. "-although I'll have you know that wasn't very nice of you. I thought you were past those childish pranks."

Derek's eyes widened, and he shook his head desperately, looking offended.

"_Childish _pranks?" he choked out, amazed. "Babe, I don't pull childish pranks. Childish would be the stuff that Marti does. My pranks are absolutely genius. You've got to admit that much."

"Whatever," she muttered, shaking her head at his obvious immaturity. He may be a sweet guy, to her, but he was still always going to be the same old Derek. And that same old Derek would never get tired of pranking her, or making stupid jokes when she didn't even want to hear them.

"Anyway, back to the serious stuff," she said, and the smile on his face faded away into nothing again as he frowned, clearly worried.

"It's not something I did, is it?" he asked, sounding anxious. "What did I do wrong?"

"Nothing," she assured him, as his arm found it's way around her waist, holding her closer to him. She squirmed, biting her lip as she stared down at the floor, unable to come up with the words to tell him what he needed to know. She was shaking slightly, and her palms were sweating as she cringed, half wishing she hadn't started this conversation.

"You didn't do anything wrong," she confirmed, knowing that this was what he was worried about. "It's just that... something I found out could... I mean, I didn't mean to let... oh God..."

Derek kissed the side of her head, frowning as he watched his girlfriend breathe in deeply, trying to gather enough courage to tell him what was on her mind.

"Go on," he said, nodding his head. "You can tell me anything, you know that, right? Whatever it is, we'll deal with it together. Nothing that you can say can change the way I feel about you."

She looked up into his eyes, searching for honesty. She found that there was practically nothing but honesty and concern in his eyes, right now, and that he was actually really worried about her. Maybe she could trust him with this, after all. Maybe he loved her enough to stand by her, even throughout this.

"Promise me you'll stick by me," she said, her hand finding his, their fingers lacing together carefully. He gave her hand a squeeze as she continued. "Tell me that you won't leave me, no matter what."

He nodded, his expression darkening as he sensed how serious this was. A part of him wondered if she was cheating on him or something, but he shoved the thought out of his mind. That wasn't possible. Casey would never cheat on him, and he had full faith in her on that one. He knew that she was committed to him, and only him. He wasn't worried about that. But he knew something was seriously wrong, and he decided that he had to make this promise to her. It was true; he wouldn't leave her, no matter what happened. And he had no problem with telling her that.

"I'm not going to leave you," he promised, kissing her head again gently as he squeezed her hand. "Now, tell me what's going on."

She drew in a deep breath, looking him in the eye for a moment. He seemed like he was being honest, and she trusted him, so she knew that she'd just have to tell him, and deal with the consequences later. There was no easy way out of this, and that he had to know.

So, summoning up every ounce of courage she had, she made direct eye contact with him, and prepared herself for the worst.

"There's no easy way of saying it, so I guess I should just put it out there," she started, shrugging her shoulders. "I've been meaning to tell you all week that there's... um... there's the slightest chance that I could be... you know... pregnant."

She felt Derek's arm tense around her, and his hand froze in hers at the same time as she saw his face go completely white with shock. She waited nervously for some sort of reaction from him. She was terrified to even mention that there was more to the story, here. He was reacting badly enough as it was, in her opinion. He wasn't saying anything, and his eyes were fixed on her face, absolutely shocked. He wasn't even blinking, and she frowned, growing slightly concerned about him.

"Um, Derek?" she questioned, her voice nervous as she realized that he really wasn't going to say anything to her. "A few words would be really greatly appreciated, here. Something supportive, perhaps... that would reassure me that you don't completely hate me, right now."

He seemed to realize that she was talkimg, all of a sudden, and he shook his head, still looking completely dazed. It was like he had just received a very large blow to the side of the head, or something. If the situation wasn't so serious, she would've laughed at how cute he was, because Derek Venturi had finally been rendered speechless. That was something she had been wanting to see for almost three years now, but definitely not under these circumstances.

"I don't hate you," he assured her, and she felt her heart start beating again as she relaxed slightly with relief. "I could never hate you, Casey. It's just... this is alot to take in, and... wow. A baby? Like... me, and you, and a baby? Are you serious about this? You're not like... pulling a prank on me, are you? I'm not being Punk'd? Because if Ashton Kutcher pops out from behind that door, I'm not going to be happy. This really isn't funny."

She shook her head to indicate that this wasn't a joke, and she saw him gulp nervously, cringing. He seemed to be letting it sink in that this was real, and that Casey was serious about the possibility of being pregnant. She watched as continued to shake, swallowing hard. She decided to give him a few moments to absorb the shock, before dropping the even bigger news on him. It was obvious that he wasn't even thinking clearly, right now.

"Wow, Casey," he said, shaking his head as he stared at the floor, letting go of her. "I don't know how to... what to say to... you... me... I mean, have you even taken the test yet?"

Casey nodded slowly, swallowing hard to try and get rid of the fear that was rising in the back of her throat. She had to admit though, Derek was taking this better than she had anticipated, so far.

"It came out positive," she informed him, and his face fell as he stared down at the floor again, his hopes gone. "I've been meaning to go to the doctor to get the test done. I was sort of thinking about skipping school tomorrow morning to go down and get the test, but I'm... I'm really scared."

His eyes shot up to meets hers then, and his face softened as he realized what she must be going through right now. If he felt scared, he knew that she must feel about a hundred times worse. She would be the one carrying around a child for nine months, after all; not him. She was the one who people would be staring at as she walked down the halls at school. Then again, he assumed that they'd know who the father was anyway, seeing as everyone knew that Derek was her boyfriend. But he wasn't worried about what people thought about them, right now. He was only worried about Casey, and making her feel okay.

He wrapped his arms around her, and she willingly leaned against his chhest as he kissed the top of her head, staring off blankly. She was relieved that he was making some sort of effort to comfort her, hinting that he didn't resent her for this at all.

"I'll go with you, okay?" he said, sounding shaky. "We'll take the morning off and go down to the doctors, and get the test done. It'll only take awhile, right?"

She shook her head, taking in a deep breath. He frowned, not sure which part he had gotten wrong.

"What?" he asked, confused. "What part did I miss? Do you not want me there, or something? Because if I'm gonna be a father, I wanna know."

She sniffed, shaking her head at him again. She knew she had to tell him eventually, and now seemed like the perfect time to get it over with. He had to learn the truth, sometime.

"It's not going to be quick, Derek," she said, her voice terrified as she pulled back slightly to look him in the eye, her head tilted upwards. "If I am pregnant, which I'm already pretty sure I am... I'm going to have to try and see how far along I am and everything... to... to see who the father is."

He tensed, and he pulled away from her slightly as she struggled to hold back the tears threatening to spill out of her eyes. She could feel him shaking now, and she saw the confusion in his eyes as he shook his head at her, absolutely terrified.

"Casey?" he whispered, sounding scared now. "W-What do you mean by that?"

She looked him square in the eye, ready to reveal the truth that she had been hiding for well over a month now.

"I mean that... even if I am pregnant, you might not be the father. It could be Max's kid."

She felt his body shake with fear and nasuea, and he pulled away, anger evident on his features. His face was a mixture of anger, heartbreak, and pain as he shook his head, disgusted with his girlfriend.

"_Max_?" he yelled at her, obviously hurt. "Max?! Fuck! I love you. I trusted you, and you go off and cheat on me with that scum? Are you for real?"

Her eyes widened, and she felt herself grow fearful. She had known he'd be mad, but she didn't think he'd get _this _mad. She was actually worried that he was going to get violent with her, at this point. She may be back to her normal self, for the most part, but Derek knew that there was always a part of her that was scared of being abused like that, again. And although he didn't realize it at the time, the look reflected in his eyes was one she had seen too many times with Max.

"D-Derek, calm down!" she begged, sobbing desperately now. "P-Please-"

"I can't believe you'd do something like this to me!" he growled, standing up, his body hovering over hers angrily. "What the hell is wrong with you? You've got a boyfriend who's crazy about you, right here! I'd give you the world, if you asked for it, and you go to him?"

He had pulled her up to him now, and he didn't even realize how hard he was gripping her arm. He wasn't trying to hurt her. He was just hurting inside, and he didn't even realize that she was crying, her hair falling over her eyes as she struggled to breathe. His own chest was heaving as he fought for some oxygen, having used all of it in yelling at her.

His voice was slightly quieter as he glared at her, panting.

"Are you gonna say anything to me?" he asked, his voice angry. "Well? _Are_ you?"

She sniffed, looking up at him with teary eyes as she shook her head. Her voice was barely a whisper when she spoke up again, and he had to listen very carefully to hear what she was saying to him. But when he heard her, he rather thought it was the best thing that he had heard all day.

"I never cheated on you, Derek," she whimpered, shaking her head at him, and he released her from his hold, frowning slightly. "That night, about a month ago, when I went to Emily's party... do you remember?"

He thought back hard, but shook his head. He couldn't remember going to any parties at Emily's house for at least three months, now.

"No," he said, shaking his head. "I don't remember going to any party. I must have been really drunk..."

"No, you weren't there," she informed him, and he frowned even more, not understanding. "That was the weekend that you and Sam were out of town for your championships. I wasn't even going to go, because I didn't really feel like going without you, but Emily really wanted me to come, and there was nothing else to do, so I decided to drop by there for an hour or so."

She paused, drawing in a deep breath, and Derek nodded at her, praying that whatever she was about to say wouldn't totally break his heart.

"Go on," he said, his voice slightly calmer, and maybe a little bit hopeful. "I'm listening."

"I was only there for about an hour and a half when I got really bored. Emily was off with Sheldon somewhere, and I wasn't really talking to anyone. That was when I ran into Max."

"Great," Derek muttered, clearly sick to his stomach with jealousy. Casey chose to ignore his commentary as she went on, not even looking him in the eye as she sat back down on the bed again, shaking. She needed Derek to believe her, and she knew that she'd need to tell him absolutely everything for that to happen.

"He asked me why I was leaving, and I told him I didn't really want to be there. I was trying to be nice to him, you know? I didn't want to cause anything at Emily's party. He told me to come upstairs with him for awhile, just to talk, and... I don't know why... I mustn't have been thinking clearly, but I went with him. We went up to one of the spare rooms, and we just sat around talking. I really thought he had changed, Derek. He kept saying how much he regretted letting out friendship slip away. He apologized for everything he'd done to me before, and maybe I should've realized that something was up when he got me to start drinking..."

"Oh God," Derek choked out, his eyes closing briefly. "Let me guess; you were so drunk, that you didn't know what you were doing, right? You just let Max-"

"He raped me, Derek," she sobbed, not able to look up as she let out a choked sob. "I only had a few drinks, so I can pretty much remember everything that happened. I remember he asked me if I still liked him, and I said that I obviously didn't, and that I was with you. I told him I could never see him like that again, and he got sort of mad. What happened right after that is sort of a blur, but I remember him having me pinned down to the bed, and I remember he was kissing me. I tried to fight him off, but he's alot stronger than I am. He hit me, and told me he was the one in control, and that I'd better shut up. He was mad, because I never slept with him when we were together, and he said he found out that me and you were together within the first month. He thought it was unfair, and he said he was going to get everything he missed. He forced himself onto me, and when it was over, he hit me again, and told me that if I told anyone, there'd basically be hell to pay. He said he'd get people after you, and then he'd come after me himself."

Derek was staring at her, but she couldn't quite read the expression on his face. She hoped that he believed her, and something occured to her, then.

"If you don't believe me, I have proof."

He held out his hand desperately, needing confirmation that this was all true, that Casey really hadn't cheated on him. She reached into her back pocket, pulling out a wrinkled up piece of paper that had been folded into a neat little square. The paper looked like it had been handled alot, and the dull creases suggested that it had been read over and over again. And it had been. Everytime Casey had even considered telling anyone what had hapened, she would just have to re-read that note, and she would be reminded of every reason why she shouldn't. She knew that Max had planned it that way.

Derek unfolded the note, and gave her a quick glance as she wrapped her arms around herself, shaking. Looking down again, he began to read silently to himself;

_Casey, _

_I've seen that look in your eyes all day now, every single time you look at me. I know you're planning on telling someone about what happened, and let me tell you now; you can forget about it. I swear to God, you tell one soul what happened Friday night, I'll get all my friends on Venturi's ass, and I'll shut you up myself. Do you know how mad it made me, to hear that you were screwing around with Venturi after a month? We were together for five months and nothing happened. You were nothing but a tease, Casey, and you got what you deserved. So you mark my words; you so much as hint to someone about what I did, I'll hit you so hard you'll wish you were dead. Don't say I didn't warn you._

_-Max_

Derek's eyes had glazed over with something that Casey couldn't quite put her finger on, and he was shaking violently. She was a bit scared of his reaction, to be quite honest, and she wasn't even sure whether or not he believed this. But a moment later, he balled the paper up, and threw it onto his bed without a sound.

"Where is he?" he asked, his hands clenching into fists. "Where the_ hell _is he?"

"I don't know. Why?" she asked, blinking back a few tears. He strode away from her, and she paled, her eyes widening. "Derek, what are you going to do?"

He ignored her as he stormed towards the door, and she tried to grab onto him, needing him to stop and explain to her what he was going to do.

"Derek, please," she begged, as she tore out the bedroom door after him, her voice shaking. "What are you going to do?"

"What am I gonna do?" Derek laughed, his voice cruel and murderous. "I'll tell you what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna find that cocky little bastard that had the nerve to lay a finger on my girl, and I'm gonna kick his head into the ground. Then, I'm gonna kick him so many times that he'll forget his own name. And once I'm done that, I'm just gonna have to start all over again, just for fun. How does that sound? Trust me Casey, this guy's gonna think twice before he messes with my girlfriend again. In fact, he may never look at another girl again, when I'm through with him."

"Derek," she begged, as he shrugged into his jacket, and stepped into his sneakers again. She grabbed onto his arm desperately, shaking his head. "Please don't."

Derek stopped, his hands still frozen on the collar of his jacket. A frown appeared on his face, and he gave her a suspicious look, his eyes narrowing.

"Why?" he questioned, shaking his head. "It's almost like you're trying to protect him."

"I'm trying to protect _you_," she stressed, her eyes begging him to stay. "You read the note. He said if I ever told anyone, he'd have people after you. I don't want that."

"He won't get anyone after me," Derek laughed, no longer worried as he grabbed his car keys off the hook. "Everyone's beginning to realize the guy's a total jerk, and the few people that actually do like him are wimps, anyway. I'm not afraid of them. I could have half the school after him, if I wanted to. You don't need to worry about me, baby. I'll be fine."

Without another word, he leaned in and kissed her on the cheek, and before she could argue, he was gone.

- - - -

Derek drove around aimlessly for a good hour, muttering threats to an imaginary Max under his breath, and pounding his fist against the steering wheel every few minutes. When he did this at a red light, he got funny glares from the people sitting in the next car, and he'd spend the next five minutes complaining to himself about people who didn't know how to mind their own business.

When he finally found Max at the basketball court next to their school, all of his anger had reached a boiling point, and he was ready to let it all out. And right now, Max seemed like a very promising target to release his anger on.

He parked his car in the school parking lot, where teachers were just beginning to trickle out to their cars to go home for the weekend, and he stuffed his keys into his pocket, his eyes set on Max, who was playing basketball with a group of his friends. One or two of them were actually people that Derek was friends with as well, and he knew that, if he needed backup, he had it. The two guys that he knew, Jack and Reese, would stick up for him in a heartbeat, over Max. They frequently told Derek how much of a jerk they thought Max was. They only hung around with him because they were involved in a group of mutual friends, somehow connecting them.

Derek stormed onto the court, his eyes angry as he strode towards Max. One of the other guys saw Derek coming, and nudged Max, nodding towards Derek. Max turned, his face red from physical exertion as he panted for air. He wondered momentarily what Derek Venturi could possibly want with him, but only one possibility came to mind. Casey must have told. She was so going to pay.

"What do you want, Venturi?" Max asked, as Derek came near him. "Let me guess; you had a nice little chat with-"

"The only nice little chat I'll be having today is the one between my fist and your face," Derek said angrily, and before he could even blink, Max found himself clutching onto his bleeding nose, which he was pretty sure Derek had just broken for a second time. He was barely able to process the first hit, when he felt Derek's other fist connect with the right side of his head, and he was shoved backwards against the metal wire fence. Derek was throwing punches at whatever bit of Max's flesh he could find, and he was yelling nonsense at him as he did it.

"Don't know how you think you'd ever get away with it," he got out, through gritted teeth. It was obvious that Max wanted to fight back, but Derek was moving so fast that he couldn't even find enough time to get a single punch in. He was finally able to press his hands against Derek's chest, and shove him off of him. Derek stumbled backwards, his chest heaving as he struggled for much needed air, and he stared at Max, his eyes still narrowed angrily.

Max straightened up, touching his fingers to his lips. He was bleeding, but fortunately for him, Derek had gotten most of the punches in around his shoulders and stomach. He panted for air as he wiped blood away from his mouth, trying to regain some dignity.

"Jesus," he cursed, straightening up as the rest of his friends stared on in amazement. "What's your problem, Venturi?"

"_My_ problem?" Derek stressed, his eyes wide as he processed what Max was saying. "What's_ your _problem? You think it's perfectly okay to do what you did, and what's more is that you thought you'd get away with it. Well guess what, bud? I can be tough when I wanna be, and when it comes to you hurting my girlfriend, I'm not very friendly about it. I have no hesitation whatsoever in beating you up. Need I remind you I've done it twice before? Do you really wanna go for a third?"

Max snorted, folding his arms across his chest, but everyone could tell he was feeling threatened, right about now. The look in his eyes wasn't as cocky as it normally was, and he had backed up against the fence as far as he could, to put distance between himself, and Derek. But as he caught sight of his circle of friends, standing a few feet away from Derek, something seemed to occur to him, and he smirked, pushing himself away from the fence, and walking smugly towards his friends.

"There's a difference, this time," he said, resting his arm on Jack's shoulder. Jack frowned, giving Max a look of disgust. "I've got about six friends here to back me up, whereas you have absolutely no one."

Jack pushed Max's arm away from his shoulder as though it were poisonous, and he scowled, brushing his hand to his shoulder, as though it were now contaminated.

"Dude, don't lean on my shoulder like that," he muttered, before turning away, rolling his eyes as he whispered to Reese; "I always suspected he was gay."

Max blushed, his eyes widening as he stared at Jack in horror.

"Dude, I'm not..." he trailed off, blowing out an impatient breath. "Wear _one_ pink shirt in the sixth grade, and you apparantly like men for the rest of your life. Honestly. What part of me _looks _gay to you?"

Reese opened his mouth to speak as he raised a finger up pointedly, but Max caught sight of this, and glared at him, shaking his head.

"Not a word, Reese," he growled, and the blonde haired guy fell silent, pouting at the ground as he scuffed his sneaker against the gravel.

"That's one bossy gay man," he muttered, and Max looked like he was ready to hit someone, but decided against arguing his point anymore. He shook his head at his so-called friends, and turned to Derek, trying to act as menacing as he had been only moments before. It was obvious that he was failing miserably, because it was obvious that he was installing no fear in Derek whatsoever.

"You better watch your back, Venturi," he said, pointing a finger in Derek's face threateningly.

Derek raised an eyebrow, and reached up, grabbing Max's wrist, and pushing it away from him violently.

"First off, don't put your finger in my face," he said, glaring. Max scowled, but he ignored it as he went on. "Secondly, I don't care who you've got on your side. I could take you anyday, anytime. And thirdly, if you so much as look at Casey, talk to Casey, threaten Casey, or attempt to contact her in any way, shape, or form, the consequences won't be pretty."

"Oh yeah?" Max challenged, not realizing that he was digging himself into an even deeper hole than he was already in. "And what are you gonna do about it, huh?"

Derek smirked, chuckling to himself as he shook his head with amusement.

"You don't wanna know, bud," he said, and he would've continued, if it wasn't for the voice that spoke up behind him.

"Can you two quit fighting for like, two seconds, maybe?"

Derek turned around at the same time as Max glanced over his enemy's shoulder, and they both saw Casey standing there, shaking her head at the two of them as she noticed that Max had a bloody lip and nose. Her eyes instantly flickered up to Derek's face, and he sensed her relief when she saw that he had no injuries. When she was absolutely reassured that Derek was okay, she looked back to Max, shaking her head.

"I'm not putting up with anything from you," she said, feeling a weird sense of dominance as she tugged on the end of Derek's sleeve, frowning. "Come on, Derek. Let's just go home, okay?"

Max laughed, and as he nudged one of his nearby friends, he began to laugh as well, which signalled the rest of them to laugh, too. Derek had to admit that Max had the worst backup team ever. They always seemed to need some sort of indication to show what they had to do, and they seemed to find Max's attempts to threaten Derek was nothing more than a mere joke, which sort of hinted that maybe his friends didn't even have faith in him, when it came to a face off between Max, and Derek. But Max had never known when to quit, and of course, he never passed up the oppurtunity to be a complete idiot, and screw things up even worse than he already had. This was no exception.

"Yeah, Derek," Max mocked, grinning. "Go home. Listen to your woman. She knows what's best, right?"

"I don't listen to girls," Derek snapped, and Casey let go of his sleeve, folding her arms across her chest angrly.

"_Hey_!" she cried, clearly offended by his words. He paid her no attention as Max continued to poke fun at him.

"The girl whines too much anyway," Max snorted, shaking his head at an already ticked off Casey. "She probably over-exaggerated the whole thing. She's not worth fighting over, in my opinion."

Derek took a step forwards, all the while making sure Casey was securely behind him, completely out of Max's reach. The sun beat down on his black jacket, overheating him, and he felt his anger only increasing under the boiling hot sun. His hair stuck to his forehead as he glared at Max, trying to keep his anger in, if only for Casey's sake. She didn't want him to be violent with Max, and he would have to try and respect her wishes, while she was around, anyway. If Casey wasn't there right now, he'd have Max pinned to the ground in two seconds flat.

"She is worth fighting for," Derek argued, shaking his head. "You're just not worth fighting. You're pathetic."

Max raised an eyebrow, clearly not offended by this statement.

"I'm pathetic?" he questioned, sounding amused. "That's really funny, coming from the guy who's dating his sister."

Some of Max's friends snickered, and Casey blushed, looking away from them. She was sure that they had heard plenty of stories about her, by now. She was almost positive that they would know all about the times Max had made her cry, or the times that he'd hurt her, and she was sure that they found those stories to be quite amusing, when Max had shared them.

Derek, however, was not at all ashamed of admitting who he was dating, and while Casey wasn't either, she just couldn't face these guys. They represented everything she despised about Max.

"She's not my sister," Derek argued, not at all phased by this. "You can use that against me as much as you want, but it's not very effective, because you can't change the way I think about Casey. She isn't my sister, and anyone with a brain would realize that."

"Anyone with a dictionary would say otherwise," Max joked, folding his arms across his chest. "Ever look up the definition of incest, D?"

Derek's face turned red with anger, and he felt his hands clenching subconciously into fists as he prepared himself against Max.

"Ever look up the definition of the word scum, _Max_?"

"I'd rather be scum than be dating my sister," he said, and without another word, he aimed to hit Derek. He missed by a mile, and his punch landed right over Derek's shoulder. Derek watched as Casey flinched with the pain that shot through her shoulder, and she bowed her head down, biting her lip. Obviously, she didn't want to let Max know that he'd hurt her, even if he hadn't meant to.

But seeing Casey's pain was all it took for Derek to lose it again. He launched himself forwards, and sent Max flying to the ground. Max took a good swing, and managed to punch Derek in the jaw pretty hard. Derek barely stopped to register the pain as his hands found Max's throat, and tightened their grip considerably. He had a knee resting on either side of Max, and the guy beneath him couldn't move, let alone breathe. Derek noticed that none of his friends even bothered to come to his rescue as Max's face turned red.

Casey, however, had to be the most kind-hearted person that he'd ever met in his life, because when she saw that Derek was unknowingly choking Max in some sort of twisted revenge, she called out to him. She didn't want Max to wind up getting _too _badly hurt because she knew that Derek would end up getting in trouble.

"Derek, let him go!" she called out desperately, her voice shaking. "He's had enough. He can't breathe!"

"Good," Derek muttered, not even thinking about what he was doing anymore. Max managed to free one of his hands, and he hit Derek square in the jaw again, but he didn't even feel the pain.

"You've made your point!" Casey cried, absolutely desperate now. "Come on, stop it; both of you! You're going to get in trouble!"

Before he could even consider what she was saying, they heard the sound of foosteps running towards them, and at the next second, there was the sound of a much older, much calmer voice, coming from somewhere behind Derek.

"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to release this man, and put your hands where I can see them."

Derek closed his eyes briefly. He didn't need to turn around to know who was standing behind him. It was pretty obvious. But nonetheless, as he released his hold on Max's throat, and he gasped for air beneath him, he glanced over his shoulder, his eyes opening to see two police officers standing there, looking down at Derek expectantly.

Yeah, he was definitely in trouble.

* * *

**Uh oh. Yeah, Derek sort of lost it in this chapter, but honestly, he has a right to be angry. Someone was messing with his girl!**


	3. Anytime

**So here's the next chapter. Nothing too interesting happens. It's more of a filler than anything else. Butthe next two chapters is where the real drama comes out. And I promise you, paternity and pregnancy is NOT going to bethe focus of this story. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. **

**Chapter Three: Anytime**

Derek drove home from the basketball court in total silence. Casey kept shooting him furtive and curious glances all the way, as though she was trying to figure something out, or make a point, but he didn't even look at her. He couldn't put up with her righteous 'I told you so', right about now. He was already angry enough, and he didn't want to end up yelling at her when he didn't mean to. He wasn't angry with her, not in the slightest, but he had a tendency of yelling at whoever was around him, when he was angry enough. And Casey definitely didn't need to be yelled at, today.

"Derek," she said quietly, as they drove down the road towards home.

He gave a little grunt to show that he was listening to her, and she reached out, brushing his hair away from his face. She could feel how tense he was, and she let her hand run down over his back, trying to calm him down a little as he stopped at a red light.

"Derek, look at me," she said, and he kept his eyes on the road, emotionless. "I said look at me."

"I'm driving."

"You're at a red light," she argued, shaking her head. "You can look at me for two seconds. I'm not that hard to face, am I?"

He turned to look at her, and she was surprised to see that he looked hurt, and confused. He shook his head at her, his eyes curious.

"Why didn't you ever tell me, Casey?" he asked, sounding slightly offended. "It's been a month since he did that to you, and you only decided to tell me when you absolutely had to? So what if this whole pregnancy thing hadn't come up; what then? Would you have just kept it from me?"

She bowed her head, blushing slightly. She had kept it from him to protect him, but she knew that Derek wasn't fond of the idea of being protected by his girlfriend. Not when it sacrificed her own well being. But Derek meant the world to her, and she wasn't willing to have Max hurt Derek because she couldn't keep her mouth shut.

"I didn't tell you because I wasn't hurting anyone by staying silent," she whispered, and as the light turned green, Derek sighed, glancing up at it. He gripped the steering wheel, and drove on. For a moment, she thought he wasn't going to respond to her at all, and she wasn't sure whether or not she was happy about that. But a moment later, Derek had flicked his indicator on, and pulled into the parking lot of some random company that they happened to be passing by. He parked the car in a more isolated area of the lot, and turned the engine off. She looked at him, confused, but he turned in his seat, and took one of her hands gently between both of his, trying to comfort her.

"Tell me again," he said, his voice serious as he looked her in the eye. "Why didn't you want to tell me?"

Taking a deep breath, she prepared to repeat herself. Somehow, saying it a second time wasn't any easier than the first time.

"I didn't say anything, because I knew that nobody was getting hurt by me keeping my mouth shut," she recapped, shrugging her shoulders. "It just made sense."

Derek shook his head, not finding this to be a good enough reason for her silence.

"You were hurting," he pointed out, squeezing her hand gently. "That's not good enough. I can't even imagine what you've been going through lately, dealing with that on your own. You should've told me right from the beginning, and I would've done something sooner. I would've helped you through it."

"I'm used to dealing with things on my own," she said, shrugging. "I was used to him doing horrible things to me. Everything he did to me before just made it alot easier to... well, not get over, but face... you know?"

"Rape is different than what he's done before, Casey," he said, his free hand smoothing down over her hair. "I don't like the thought of anyone hurting you. And what Max did is beyond what I'm willing to overlook. That's why you've got to keep that note, like the police told you to do. It can be used as evidence against Max."

She nodded, remembering everything that had happened after the cops had showed up at the basketball court, only a short hour before.

_- - - -_

_"Derek, get off of him," Casey urged in a hissed whisper, as Derek stared down at an oxygen-deprived boy beneath him. Derek's own chest was heaving with almost an equal struggle to breathe, and he was half contemplating getting in another few punches. But out of the corner of his eye, he saw Casey giving him a begging look, pleading with him to put an end to it. He knew that she didn't want him to get into any sort of trouble with the police._

_So he nodded at Casey only, and pulled himself up off of the ground, not offering Max a hand up. His enemy scowled at him as he pulled himself up onto his feet again, brushing some dirt off of his jeans and shirt. He tried to look as though he had not been affected by this, and he was still had his dignity, but he failed horribly, and he knew that everyone else could recognize that too. _

_Derek was instantly seized by the nearest cop, and he found his hands being pinned behind his back, restraining him from going anywhere near Max. Nobody even bothered to go near Max, and for some reason, their concern was all on Derek. _

_"We had complaints from a few passerbyers about some sort of a disturbance taking place here," one of the police officers said, holding Derek's wrists tightly in his hands. "-presumeably, that was you, sir." _

_He nodded towards Derek, and Casey took a cautious step forwards, her eyes scared. _

_  
"Hold on a second," she said, shaking her head at the authorities. "Why are you... you're... you've got the wrong guy." _

_Casey squinted at the officers badge, and saw that he was known as Officer Bennett. This particular officer shook his head at her, snapping handcuffs around Derek's wrists. Derek tensed, and Casey took another step forwards, her body shaking. _

_  
"You're being temporarily held under arrest for assault, and public disturbance," Derek found himself being told, as he stared towards Casey helplessly. "You do have the right to remain silent, and you have the right to wait until a lawyer is present to make any official statements. Are you over the age of eighteen?" _

_Derek didn't look away from Casey as he swallowed hard, finding the courage that it took to nod, and get a couple of words out. _

_"I'm eighteen, yeah," he admitted, suddenly wishing that he wasn't. "But I only did it because-" _

_"Don't know what he was thinking, assuming that he'd get away with it," Max suddenly said, sensing an oppurtunity to get himself out of alot of trouble. Derek's eyes monitored Max's every movement as he saw the jerk take a few steps towards Casey, and wrap his arms around her shoulders. Nobody but Derek could see how tightly he was holding onto her, so that she couldn't move away from him. The police probably just saw it as something of a caring act, but past abuse towards Casey had taught Derek that Max didn't give a damn about the girl. _

_Casey's eyes filled with fear, and her entire body tensed as Derek took a threatening step forwards, stopped by the police officer standing behind him. He was desperate to get that scum's hands off of his girl, but he knew that there was nothing he could do about it, right now. _

_Max was smirking as he locked eyes with Derek, lies slipping past his lips without the thought of consequence._

_"The guy has been trying to come between me and my girlfriend here for weeks," Max lied easily, doing his best to act upset by this. "He was threatening her to break up with me, and when that didn't work, he came after me." _

_Derek snorted, looking away. How could Max even think that something like this would work? A few simple questions to family and friends would prove that everytihng that Max was saying was a total and complete lie, but he guessed that last ditch attempts were all Max really had to hang onto, at this point. _

_Max seemed to sense that nobody was buying his story, and he tightened his grip on Casey's shoulder agressively, speaking up through gritted teeth. _

_"Isn't that right, _babe_?" he stressed, and Derek saw Casey cringe under her ex-boyfriend's violent hold. He felt his heart clench as he narrowed his eyes into a glare, pulling forwards against his restraints. The cuffs around his wrist that persistantly kept him from getting to his girl were really starting to get on his nerves, and he definitely wasn't above breaking through them to keep Max away from Casey. _

_"I highly suggest someone get that scum away from my girlfriend, before I'm forced to break out of these things and do it myself," Derek growled, his eyes flashing dangerously at Max. "And you should know that I won't be so kind in getting rid of him." _

_The officers around them looked absolutely confused, as though they had no clue who to believe, and who to declare a liar. Of course, Derek couldn't blame them. Both boys were claiming to be her boyfriend. Derek was the one that they had caught assaulting Max, but the girl that the victim of the assault was clutching so tightly did seem to hold way too much fear in her eyes for this to actually be her boyfriend. And the concern in Derek's eyes matched every word that left his mouth. _

_There was only one thing to do._

_Officer Bennett turned to Casey, frowning slightly as he looked from one guy to the other. _

_  
"Which one of these young men is telling the truth?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at her carefully. "One of them has to be lying; they can't both be your boyfriend. It won't take away from the crime of assault, but someone still has to be lying to us. Don't be scared to tell us the truth. Which one of these men is really your boyfriend?" _

_Casey took no hesitance in responding. She saw the look Derek was giving her, and she nodded towards him, not even having to think about telling the truth. _

_"You've got the wrong guy," she said, nodding. "The guy you've got cuffed up is my boyfriend. And I know you're going to say that he's still responsible for assault, and while that may be true... he... he only did it to protect me. I've got proof, I've got evidence..." _

_- - - - _

Casey was snapped out of her thoughts by Derek's hand coming to rest gently on her thigh, squeezing lightly to get her attention. She looked up to see Derek giving her a concerned look, obviously troubled by this.

But the words that came out of his mouth were a surprise to her, for he seemed to think that she was the one who was upset, right now.

"Why are you crying?" he questioned, his voice concerned.

She shook her head, frowning with confusion.

"I'm not crying," she told him, thinking that Derek must be insane. "What are you talking about?"

Derek reached out, his thumb brushing across her cheek gently to wipe away the few tears that had fallen from her eyes without her even noticing.

"I don't know what you call this," Derek started, smiling sadly at her, "-but any normal person would refer to these as tears, Princess. Not all of us speak the language of Casey. There's too many emotions involved."

Casey shook her head, giving Derek a playful swat on the arm. There was a tiny smile showing through her tears, and she looked at him, torn between her own sadness, and the joking way in which he was trying to cheer her up. He smiled back at her, though she thought that it may have been forced, and he ran his hand down along her arm, finally lacing their hands together by her knees. Giving her hand a squeeze, her locked his gaze with hers.

"You're okay, you know that, don't you?" he asked, examining her tear-stained cheeks carefully. "You're with me, not him. You don't have to cry."

"I haven't cried in a really long time," she admitted, shrugging.

Derek raised an eyebrow in disbelief, and she rolled her eyes, knowing what he was going to point out.

"-aside from this afternoon, thanks," she said, annoyed with him. He relaxed, and she went on. "Other than that, though... it's been a really long time since I've cried."

"When Max used to hit you," Derek started,sounding curious. "-you cried then. I heard you."

She blushed, bowing her head, and he hurried to fix what had sounded like an accusation.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of," he said, shaking his head at her to indicate that he wasn't trying to make fun of her. "He was your boyfriend. You trusted him, and he let you down."

Casey thought over what he was saying, but only one thought was dominating her mind as she shrugged her shoulders, not looking Derek in the eye. She kept her gaze fixed on the dashboard, which was lit up by the sun that was currently beating down on the car. She shifted a little bit, digging the toe of her sneakers into the floor of the car to distract her.

"I dunno," she said quietly, sounding apprehensive. "Maybe I deserved it."

Derek was silent for a moment, frowning at his girlfriend's words.

"Deserved what, Casey?" he asked, and when she didn't answer, he took a wild guess. "For Max to hit you? To have him blow you off all the time like he did? To turn you into the half-anorexic, terrified and depressed girl he had you made into for awhile there?"

She shrugged, indicating that she didn't know what it was that she meant, right about now. Derek took this as a yes, and he shook his head, squeezing her hand gently.

"You didn't deserve any of that," he told her, needing her to believe him. "You deserve to be treated like a princess, Case. You deserve a good guy, someone who loves you, and takes care of you, and compliments you, and maybe even a guy who is pretty darn sexy himself."

"Already got one," she said, managing a very small smile as she glanced over at Derek, raising an eyebrow. "You, obviously."

"You think I'm sexy, huh?" Derek asked, grinning smugly. "Well, I can't say I disagree or anything, you know? I mean, this is one sexy face."

Casey actually managed a real smile then, and she leaned over, gripping each side of his face gently to pinch his cheeks.

"You've got a _cute_ face," she complimented, grinning happily at him as he blushed, not approving of this action. "It's all soft and babylike."

"It's mysterious and sexy," he argued, his cheeks red with embarassment. "Soft and babylike reminds me of... of..."

"-a puppy!" she finished, and he paled, his eyes widening. "You're just like a-"

"Okay, enough!" Derek said, clamping his hand over her wrist to move it away from his face. She laughed, and he stared at her for a moment, before kissing her hand, and slipping his fingers through hers tightly.

"You're mean," he decided, but he was smiling. "You think just 'cause you're the girl, and you've got me totally whipped, that I'm gonna sit here and let you call me cute little names. Well let me tell you something, Missy, I don't-"

He was cut off when she leaned forwards, pressing her lips to his firmly. He was caught off gaurd, and leaned back into his seat, his hand dropping hers to run along her sides, coming to a content rest on her waist. He hated that Max had gained access to _his _girl, through force. He hated that Casey had been given no say in something that she should've never had to do. And as he thought of the things that Max had done to her, he found himself suddenly cautious with her. Had he been doing things over the past month that may have scared her? Sure, he had noticed that she hadn't been sleeping as well, and she was sometimes a little hesitant whenever he wanted to let things get a little more heated, but he had figured that it all linked back to exam stress. Casey _always _started freaking out about exams, didn't she? But he realized that Casey never started studying two months before exams, and this year, she had. She'd spent most of her time in her room lately, and there were times that she wouldn't even allow Derek to come in, even if he told her he'd study with her. And after all of that studying, shouldn't it have occured to him that her grades should've been top notch, like always? Her grades had been sliding slightly, and he'd never stopped to wonder why. He'd figured that it could be because he was there when she studied, and proved to be a distraction at times, not because there was anything on her mind. He had never really considered the possibility of there actually being a serious issue, there.

And all of a sudden, she was like a delicate doll, to him. She didn't even move, but he felt as though she was alarmingly fragile in his arms, and he was terrified of breaking her. His grip loosened slightly, and he slowed the kiss down considerably, almost as though he was worried about scaring her. She must have noticed, but whether or not she knew the reason for his sudden hesitance, he'd never know. She did, however, reach down, and grasp his hands in her smaller ones, guiding them back to her waist again. But Derek just couldn't shake the feeling of potentially scaring her, so he pulled away altogether, keeping his face close to hers as he scanned her eyes for her reaction. She was frowning, confused, and she gave him a hurt look as her eyebrows scrunched together.

"What's wrong?" she questioned, shaking her head. "Did I do something?"

Shaking his head, he gripped her arm gently to help guide her back into the passenger's seat. She leaned back against the headrest, confused, and he merely sighed, giving her a sad look. It had been himself that had done something wrong. He had been so tuned out of her life for the past month, without even realizing it. He hadn't paid enough attention to even suspect how much pain she had probably been feeling inside. In fact, he'd probably only made it worse by kissing her and being just as intimate with her as he always was. Maybe that sort of thing was scary to her, after being forced into similar activities with Max.

"No," he assured her, sighing. "You didn't do anything wrong."

Starting up the car, he watched as Casey buckled up her seatbelt again, not entirely convinced that he was speaking the truth. And as he sighed, attempting to concentrate on pulling out of his parking spot, two whispered words left his mouth in a sad sort of realization.

"I did."

- - - -

Derek was sitting in his room, his fingers knotted through his hair as he stared at the wall that seperated his room from Casey's. He had sat with Casey in her bedroom until she had fallen asleep, combing his fingers through her hair, and rubbing her back. She was tired, he knew, and he wanted her to be able to get a good night's sleep, so that she would be wide awake the next day, when they went to the doctor's office to get some testing done. It had only been around seven thirty by the time they had gotten home, and when Casey had told her parents that she would rather skip dinner, Derek had gone upstairs with her, deciding that comforting his girl was more important than eating.

Even if it _was_ the one night out of the week when they were barbequeing.

And he had been sitting here for well over forty-five minutes now, his stomach rumbling with hunger, his mind concentrated on all of the problems he was suddenly being faced with, and his body too unwilling to do anything but sit there in his own grief.

He let his eyes travel over to his dresser, where he had a few pictures framed. He wasn't a guy who generally liked to frame photos, but he had a habit of people giving him framed photos for Christmas, as a sentimental sort of thing. Derek wasn't really a sentimental kind of guy. Except, of course, when it came to Casey. She was the exception to any pre-meditated rules of his life.

Between a picture of him and Marti, and a picture of the whole family, sat a picture of him and Casey. Nora had given him the one of everyone, saying that he needed to get his family spirit up. The picture hadn't exactly helped. The one of him and Marti had been a present from Marti herself, two birthdays ago. The frame had been made of coloured popsicle sticks and glitter glue, and she'd made the thing in daycamp, but he had given her a big hug, and told her he loved it anyway.

The last picture, in the middle, was the only picture he had actually printed himself in as long as he could remember. It was one of him and Casey that had been taken on Christmas day. They were standing in front of the tree, and she had her arms wrapped around his neck happily as his hands rested softly on her waist. There had been a huge smile on her face, and while his own expression had remained practically immobile, his eyes gave away everything that he was feeling. He was crazy about the girl that he was holding onto. His hair had been messy, since it was Christmas morning, and he had been more concentrated on opening gifts, rather than getting up and cleaning himself up. Casey was always the conservative one, and she had gotten up nice and early, so that she could shower and change before Derek was even awake. Her hair was straight that day, sleek and shiny, and she had on a nice black blazer type jacket that her aunt had gotten her for Christmas. Underneath was a white tank top, and the glisten of her new silver necklace could be seen against her chest. She had opened that particular gift only moments before. It had taken about three paychecks for Derek to get her that, and that was only half of what he had gotten her.

He sighed, turning away from the picture. She was beautiful, and to him, she was perfect. Of course, he understood that nobody was perfect, and that even Casey had her flaws, but to him, she was absolutely amazing. He hated that she was hurting, right now. On top of this whole rape situation, she had to deal with possibly being pregnant, and as if that wasn't enough, she was now faced with the chance of the baby belonging to someone she absolutely hated. Casey had such a bright future ahead of her, and Derek knew that. How was she going to handle school, and a baby? She wouldn't be able to afford daycare all the time, would she? And Nora and George may love them, but they both had jobs to do as well. And Derek knew that, if it came down to it, whether this was his child or not, he'd sacrifice his own education to make sure Casey got hers. She had worked hard for the chance to get accepted into a top notch university. Sure, Derek had tightened up on the grades this year, and actually worked to get his grades up, but it was Casey that had been studying faithfully almost every single night since he'd known her. And if it came down to her quitting school to look after the baby, he was going to do it for her. She deserved to go to university like she'd always wanted. And whether or not this baby was even his, Casey was his responsibility, and therefore, any child of hers would be considered his responsibility too, in his eyes.

He let his thoughts wander to what had happened earlier that afternoon, at the basketball court. How could Max be so casual about what he had done to Casey? It was almost like he was proud of what he had done, and hell, maybe he was. But Derek wasn't going to let Max come anywhere near Casey. Not now, not ever. With any luck, Max would be sentenced for what he had done to Casey. After much debate with the police officers that had been there, it had been decided that both boys would be released, and that Casey was going to have to come forward with the evidence to prove that Max really had raped her. The only proof she had was the note, but it would be good enough. Of course, they'd probably require further investigation, but Derek knew that justice was usually achieved in the end, if everything was run fairly. Their parents hadn't been notified. Since Derek was the one who had been accused of a crime, and he was already eighteen, the police technically had no legal obligation to contact his parents. And he had no plans on telling them about anything until all of this had calmed down slightly, and more preferably after the pregnancy test. He didn't want them to stress out over whether or not Casey was going to be having the baby of the guy who had raped her.

His thinking was cut off rather abruptly when he heard the door close in the room next to his, and he jumped slightly. It had to be Casey. He had hoped that she would stay asleep for the remainder of the night, but he had no such luck. He was just considering going to see what she was doing, when there was a faint tap on his door.

"We're closed!" Derek called out jokingly, and his door opened up. Casey stepped in, raising an eyebrow at him.

"You're closed, huh?" she questioned, and when he nodded, she smiled, and closed the door behind her. "l'll keep that in mind the next time you want to kiss me. Maybe I'll do a little bit of rearranging on my own availability hours."

She took a seat on the edge of his bed, and watched as his eyes widened, and he shook his head, panicking.

"What?" he said, in the best surprised voice he could muster up. "Who said anything about closing? I'm full service, twenty four hours, seven days a week, baby!"

Casey laughed, and he sighed, straightening up a little.

"Yes, Casey dearest?" he said teasingly, sensing that she had wanted something. "How may I help you?"

Her smile faded, and she sighed as she propped her hands up behind her, giving him a slightly ashamed look.

"I couldn't stay asleep," she admitted, giving a tiny shrug of the shoulder. "I... well, it'll sound childish, but I keep having some bad dreams, and..."

"-you want to come sleep in here?" he asked softly, one eyebrow raised. When she nodded, he gave her a surprised look. "Wouldn't that go against our parents rules?"

Casey gave him a weird look, frowning.

"Since when do you follow the rules?" she questioned, and he laughed, shrugging.

"I don't," he said, with a casual shake of the head. "But... as your _older_ and much _wiser_-"

Casey snorted, and Derek rolled his eyes, knowing what she was implying.

"Okay, well then as your _older _boyfriend, I feel it's my responsibility to state the rules that were given to us... and _then _break them."

Casey laughed, raising an eyebrow at the stupidity that never ceased to amaze her.

"You're older than me by three months, you fool," she said, and when he frowned at her, she merely went on. "-and however ridiculous your theory may come off as, our parents happen to be having a movie night or something like that, down in the basement. They borrowed my laptop. And you know that movie nights-"

"Okay, I know what movie nights mean!" Derek cried loudly, shaking his head. "Too much information. Anyone over the age of-"

"Are you really sure you wanna finish that statement?" she challenged, laughing at him. "Because if I'm still with you by the time I reach that age, I will so hold it against you."

Derek raised an eyebrow at her, grinning mischeviously.

"What do you mean _if_ you're still with me?" he asked, leaning forward and wrapping his arms around her waist. "You'd _better_ still be with me, Missy."

Casey laughed as Derek pulled her as gently as possible so that she was lying on top of him. She giggled slightly as he rolled over, pinning her to the bed, but tilting his body to the side to allow her lots of room to move if she wanted to. He easily remembered that she had told him how Max had pinned her to the bed during the rape, and he didn't want to do anything to remind her of that, so he shifted so that he was more lying over her, resting on his own side. He brought one hand down, tangling through her hair.

"You _should_ still be with me by then," he noted, sounding honest. "-because I have absolutely no intentions on leaving you."

She was silent as she smiled up at him, their faces only a few inches apart. She was rubbing the back of his neck soothingly, but when she didn't answer him, he felt sickness rise in his stomach, and he felt a chill go through his entire body.

"You don't have any plans on leaving me... do you?" he asked, needing her to assure him that his feelings were mirrored, in her heart. "I mean... I'm not the only one who sees this as something of a long term thing, am I?"

She sensed his fear, and quickly leaned up to place a kiss on his lips, to reassure him. When she pulled back, she could see that he was still nervous, so she shook her head, smiling.

"I'm not gonna leave you," she said, and when she felt his body relax against hers, she felt the need to steer their conversation in a more casual situation.

"Anyway," she said, sighing. "Can I stay in here, or not?"

Nodding, he kissed her forehead.

"Anytime."

* * *

**As I said, the next chapter will bring more drama. This was mostly a filler. Review, and I will update faster!**


	4. When Hell Freezes Over

**This was actually supposed to be the chapter that would set up the rest of the story, but it was simply growing too long, so the turn of events will be shifted into next chapter. I'm sorry about that.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter Four: When Hell Freezes Over**

If someone had said that Casey was nervous, it would've been the understatement of the century. In fact, it might've been the biggest understatement known to mankind, because as Casey McDonald sat in the waiting room of the doctor's office, clutching the sides of her chair desperately, she was way beyond nervous. She was a wreck. She was a pile of energetic nerves. She was sick to her stomach with worry. Saying that she was nervous would have been an insult. Her face was pale, her knuckles had long before turned white from clutching onto the cahir so tightly, and her breathing was irregular. She was slightly shaky, and was not managing to sit still for more than ten seconds at a time. Her hands were constantly tapping against the armrest, or her foot would be tapping out a rhythm against the carpeted floor. But she was never still. 

Derek, while also incredibly worried about the results of the test, was handling his anxiety much better than his girlfriend, who looked as though she could collapse at any given second. He had remained silent for the past ten minutes. In fact, he hadn't said a word since they had stepped into the clinic, other than to go up and alert the woman at the desk that they were there for an appointment under the name Venturi. He had attempted to talk to Casey on the way to the doctor's office, but she'd rather felt that she would get sick, if she so much as opened her mouth to say anything to him. He had understood, and merely held onto her hand the whole way over here. But now, her hands were clutching the armrests, and he knew better than to question her. 

"Venturi?"

They had booked the appointment using Derek's last name, just out of pure paranoia of their parents finding out where they had really been while they were supposed to be in school. But now, as they looked up at the woman who had called out their name, and who was waiting to lead Casey and Derek to a private room, neither of them really gave a damn about being caught skipping school. They had more important things on their mind, right about now. 

Derek turned his head to look at Casey, and when he saw that she was pale, he slipped his fingers between hers, locking his hand around hers. Squeezing, he shot her a faint smile, and nodded his head. 

"Let's get this over with," he whispered to her.

He stood up, and she followed, not really paying any real attention to what she was doing. A thousand thoughts were racing through her mind, right now. She was worried about whether or not she was really pregnant, but then she'd be worried about who the father was. Two seconds later, she'd find herself worrying about being caught skipping off, and a moment later, she wouldn't care about that. She had so many things to worry about that she couldn't even keep track of them, anymore.

The woman led them into the room, which was painted a pale blue, matching the darker blue carpet. She motioned towards two black chairs that were positioned against the wall closest to the door, and she gave them a tiny nod, placing a folder down on the doctor's desk. She scanned over it, and glanced up at the terrified looking teenage girl. 

"You didn't have a file with us before, right?" she questioned, one eyebrow raised. "I tried to find one. I couldn't, so I just opened up a new one for you." 

Casey shook her head, swallowing hard as she tried her hardest to get a couple of words out. 

"No," she said honestly. She had never been to this doctor before, and Derek had picked it randomly out of the phone book, knowing that they shouldn't go to a doctor that either of their parents went to, at any given time. 

"I've never been here," she finished quickly, and the nurse nodded, scribbling something down on a piece of paper in the folder. Casey took a moment to look her over, and saw that this woman couldn't be too much older than Casey, really. She looked as though she was fresh out of university. Her long brown hair flowed down over her back, and the shade of her skin was naturally tan, as though she was in the sun all year. 

"You're name is Casey, right?" she questioned, and she nodded, her body shaking nervously as she tried to focus again. 

"Yeah," she said, glancing over at Derek, who nodded. "Casey... um, Venturi." 

The woman jotted this all down on the same sheet of paper, before tucking her pen into her pocket, and nodding, shooting the nervous looking teenagers a friendly smile. Derek couldnt help but get the vibe that she understood that nobody knew they were here, and that they were two very scared kids in a bad situation. Maybe that was why she came off as so overly friendly towards them. 

"Dr. Morgan should be in shortly to see you," she said, and without another word, she was gone. Derek stared after her for a moment, and at first, Casey didn't realize what he was doing. But when she caught onto how low his eyes had travelled down the girl's body, she turned red with anger, and gasped. 

"Derek!" she cried, clearly offended. She let go of his hand to swat at his chest, and he winced, snapping out of his trance. 

"What the hell was that for?" he questioned, knowing full well what that had been for. He didn't really mean to check the woman out so blatantly, but when he was presented with a hot girl, he couldn't help himself. Especially when he really had nerves shooting around inside of him a million miles a minute.

Casey, however, did not share this point of view, and folded her arms across her chest, a hurt look in her eyes. 

"You know what that was for," she said, and he stared at her as she rolled her eyes at him. "You're checking out some other girl when you're here with your potentially pregnant _girlfriend_."

"I'm nervous, okay?" 

Casey snorted, slumping down in her seat. 

"Like that's an excuse," she muttered, turning her head the other way. Derek instantly felt bad for being so obvious about what he had been doing. He was always going to check out hot girls, of course. For now, anyways. He was an eighteen year old, hormonal teenage boy. He only had so much self-control and restraint, when it came to a pretty girl. But checking girls out was all he would do. He was fully satisfied with the girl he had. Casey was more than enough for him, and even when he admired another girls pretty looks, Casey would always come in first. 

Tilting her chin towards him, he tried to look her in the eye. She refused to look at him, and he frowned, tilting his head.

"Hey?" he questioned, his voice soft and caring. "C'mon, Casey. You know that sort of thing means nothing." 

"It means something to me," she mumbled, obviously hurt. "It means you're checking out other girls when I'm already freaking out over this whole stupid pregnancy thing, which I shouldn't even be dealing with, right now! I'm seventeen, for crying out loud."

He moved to touch her cheek gently, and she slapped his hand away, glaring. 

"You're being a jerk," she decided, and he rolled his eyes as she looked away. She was just going to make this difficult for him, wasn't she? Of course she was. Who was he kidding? This was _Casey_; the most stubborn girl known to mankind. Or... womankind, he supposed. Heaven forbid he make some sort of an anti-feminist comment. The world might come to an earth-shattering crash around him. 

"Okay, I'm a jerk," he said, smiling a little. He knew how to get to her. "But I'm a happy jerk, at least. And I'm a jerk who's wondering why it's okay for you to goggle over Jesse Mcwhats-his-face, and all those other celebrities that you'd ditch me for in two seconds flat, but yet I can't innocently check out a receptionist?" 

Casey was speechless for a moment, and he fought back a tiny grin. He loved it when he stumped her on something. She opened her mouth, struggling to come up with the right words to defend herself against Derek's, of course, completely ridiculous and utterly biased accusations.

"That's... that's completely different altogether," she stammered out, and Derek chuckled, raising an eyebrow with amusement. 

"Uh-huh," he noted, sounding like he wanted to laugh at her. "Sure it is."

"It is!" she defended, and when he continued to grin, she sighed, giving up. "Fine. Maybe it's not. But I have a damn good reason to be emotional today, and you checking out other girls isn't gonna help it at all."

He merely smiled, pleased that she was choosing not to be angry with him, anymore. 

"I'm sorry, babe," he offered, leaning over to kiss her cheek gently. "-won't happen again."

She chose to ignore the additional comment of "-today", that was added to the end of his statement, for she knew he was only playing around with her. She merely leaned over, placing her hand on his knee gently. 

"What makes you think I'd leave you for any celebrities?" 

Derek shrugged, well aware that she'd leave him for absolutely no one, but enjoying annoying her nonetheless. Casey managed a tiny smile, and squeezed his knee encouragingly. 

"I wouldn't leave you for anyone," she promised him, her hand running up his leg, to rest on his side gently. She bunched his shirt up within her fist, pulling him closer to her side. He was grinning as he tilted his head to look at her, his eyes filled with the gratefulness that had been installed in him from the moment they had become a couple. Hell, from the moment of their first date. Everytime he looked at Casey, even when they were in a fight or a disagreement, he reminded himself that he had so much to be thankful for. Casey could have done so much better than him, and he often felt guilty for even being who he was, to her. She could have someone so much smarter, so much more sophisticated, and sweet. But he tried his hardest, and he knew that this was all that Casey expected from him. As long as he was trying his hardest to be a good boyfriend to her, and stay true to who he was as much as possible, she was happy with him. And he loved her for that. 

He could see the fear still in her eyes, despite her playful front, and he reached towards his side, grasping the hand that was holding onto his tshirt. He took it in his own hand, and brought both of their hands to rest on the knee closest to her. He gave her a concerned look, and spoke up. 

"You worried?" he asked, already well aware of the fact that she was. She gave him a pointed look, and he sighed, nodding as he rubbed his thumb across the inside of her wrist, tracing gentle circles. He looked down, watching his own actions as he went on. 

"I'm worried too," he admitted, knowing it would be pointless to lie. "I can admit that."

Casey stared off at nothing in particular, her head leaning back to rest against the wall behind her. 

"How am I going to tell my mother, Derek?" she whispered, sounding scared. "She's going to be so disappointed in me."

"You were raped, Casey," Derek reminded her, shaking his head. He was instantly proved wrong as she gave a sad laugh, the shaking of her head counteracting his words. 

"Not by you," she pointed out, and he frowned, knowing she was right. "Anything I did with you was completely my own choice, and Mom is going to know that. What if she like... I dunno, tries to seperate us?" 

Derek sighed. He should've known that crazy ideas would start popping into Casey's head, while under stress. They always did.

"Casey, our parents aren't going to seperate us," he stressed, shaking his head. "If they were going to do that, they would've done it when they found out we were together." 

Casey's eyes widened, and he was well aware that whatever he had just said to her was not what she had been wanting to hear. 

"They almost _did_ send you away, when they found out," she reminded him, her voice panicky. "Don't you remember all the arguing that went on about that? They only let you stay because we said we'd be responsible, and not get into a situation like this. And look where I am now!" 

Derek pressed his free hand against his forehead, sighing as he shook his head. 

"Babe, that was before they even really accepted us as a couple," he reminded her, knowing that he was right. "They actually _like_ the idea now that they've had awhile to get used to it. They're not about to seperate us, okay?" 

Casey didn't seem to be convinced, and she shook her head, her eyes still panicky. 

"But what if they do?" she questioned, and he could tell that no amount of convincing was going to push the idea away from her head. He knew that, right now, all he could do was pretend that he could actually see the possibility, and relate to her on it. 

"If they _did_ want to seperate us, then... I don't know, I'd do something," he said, shrugging casually. His eyebrows furrowed together as he realized how unintelligent he sounded, and he knew that Casey was sharing the same belief. She raised an eyebrow, looking very slightly amused. 

"_Something_, Derek?" she questioned, shaking her head. "Wow, how eloquent, really. I'm speechless." 

Derek rolled his eyes at her very obvious disapproval of his word choice, and he sighed, knowing that he had to be more wide-ranged with his ideas, when speaking to his girlfriend. 

"I'm eighteen, Casey," he said, shaking his head. "I can do whatever I want. If they send you away, I'll go with you. If they send me to live with my mother, I'll... I dunno, I'll convince my Mom to let you come stay with me." 

She snorted, rolling her eyes as her arms folded across her chest. 

"Who are you kidding, Derek?" she said, sounding disbelieving. "Our parents wouldn't send you away from me, just to let me go stay with you." 

He shook his head, not willing to let anything come between them.

"Like I said; I'm eighteen," he repeated, grinning as he squeezed her hand gently. "They couldn't stop me from coming to see you. They could keep me out of the house, but they can't really stop you from leaving the house. The most they can do is ground you for not listening to them." 

Casey snorted again, not sounding happy about this. 

"Because that's reassuring," she said, but before she had a chance to say anything else, the door opened up, and the doctor walked in. He didn't look at them as he strode over to his desk, taking a seat in his chair. He was a young man, also tan, and his hair was a dark black. Casey cringed slightly; he looked a little bit like Max. But the look in his eyes was friendly and helpful, and Casey was reminded that this guy had nothing to do with Max.

Derek held onto her hand tightly as Dr. Morgan flipped open Casey's folder, squinting down at what his co-worker had written down on the paper. Casey's foot tapped impatiently against the carpeted floor as she waited for the man to say something.

Finally, he looked up, his eyes flickering from one teenager to the other. He seemed momentarily taken aback by their young age, but Casey had a feeling that this was something he probably saw alot of, because the shock was only there for a few moments, before he spoke up. 

"You're here for a pregnancy test?" he asked, an eyebrow raised as he directed his question towards Casey. She tensed slightly, but Derek reassured her by tapping both of their hands against his knee to let her know he was right there for her.

Casey managed to draw in a quick breath, and nod her head to indicate that he was right. 

"Yes," she confirmed, her breathing still slightly irregular. "And I... I sort of need to know how long... I mean how far..." 

Derek sensed her discomfort, and sighed, straightening up as he took over for her.

"We need to know how long she's been pregnant for, so that we can figure out a few things," he said, not wanting to go into detail on why they needed to know this information. He didn't want to make Casey out to be some sort of whore that had no idea who the father of her child was. It wasn't like that; not at all.

"We need the most exact date possible," he said, anxiety in his voice as the doctor wrote a few things down, nodding. "It's really important." 

The doctor nodded, and turned to Casey. He must have sensed her fear, for he softened considerably, and tried to relax a little bit.

Derek and Casey both drew in deep breaths, getting ready. This was the day that could change their lives forever. 

- - - - 

"We're in shit." 

"Casey," 

"We are _so_ going to get grounded until the end of the century."

"You're so overdramatic."

"And on top of it, I don't even know how far along I am!"

Yes, Casey was pregnant. It had been confirmed by the doctor that she was carrying a child. She hadn't been too shocked at first, considering that she had already taken a test on her own. But it must have taken awhile for the news to sink in, because while she had appeared to be completely fine in the doctor's office, thanking the doctor for the news, and asking him to do a bit of work to find out how far along she was, she had completely freaked out once they had gotten into the car. 

But that wasn't all she was freaking out about. They had gone ahead and gotten some testing done, to try and figure out how far along she was in her pregnancy. And then, something unexpected had happened. George had called Derek's cellphone while they were waiting for the doctor to come back with their results. It had not been a pretty conversation. Casey had been able to hear every single word that George was saying, or rather, yelling, at Derek. Why had the school called to say that Derek and Casey had been spotted leaving the school after first period? Did Derek realize he was missing a History test? Where the hell were they, and they had better have a damn good explanation for this.

They'd been forced to leave without even waiting for their results. They had quickly explained it to the receptionist, who had had kindly stated that she'd pass along the message to the doctor, earning herself a higher place in Casey's books than she had been earlier, when Derek had been checking her out. She promised that the doctor would call them later on today, when his appointments were finished for the day, to let them know when they could come back to get their results. 

And now they were in the car, speeding towards home. Derek was racking his brain for some sort of a lie to come up with to hide where they had really been. But for the first time in his life, he had nothing. It might have had something to do with the high amount of anxiety that he had already been experiencing, or it may have had more to do with the fact that Casey was sitting next to him, switching back and forth between her ramblings. One second she'd be yelling at him about how much trouble they were going to get into with their parents, the next second she would be telling him that he was an idiot for skipping a History test, and that he should've told her about it so she could have switched the appointment. And finally, she'd return to the fact that she could've had the stress over the paternity issue over and done with, if they had just stayed at the doctor's office a little bit longer. 

And during one of her tirades about the paternity, something occured to Derek. He frowned, biting down on his lip as he drove them home as fast as it was legal, and he tuned Casey out as he struggled to make a decision that he knew he would have to make now. He knew that, if he went home and got in trouble, he wouldn't be allowed to leave the house again today. And that was something he couldn't afford, because he definitely had to be somewhere today.

Making his decision, he pulled to a stop next to the curb about three houses down from their own house, and put the car in park for a moment. Casey, who had been in mid-ramble about his history test again, stopped, pouting as she looked up at the house in which they didn't live. She turned to him, her eyebrows furrowed together as she gave him a curious look.

"Um, did we move?" she asked, shaking her head at her boyfriend. "Because I really don't recall living here. As far as I know, we've always lived three houses up from here." 

Derek barely recognized what she was saying as he nodded towards their house, and gave her a pointed look. 

"Go inside and tell them that you weren't feeling well, and I'm gone to the drugstore to get you something for your head," he said, coming up with a lie on the spot. "I know there isn't anything left in the house for headaches, because your Mom used it up last weekend, when she had that migraine. Tell them I'll be back soon." 

Her eyes widened, and she shook her head as though he were crazy. 

"Are you insane?" she questioned, and he rolled his eyes. A lecture was sure to follow, now. He leaned his head back against the headrest, preparing himself for a very boring lecture. 

"Our parents are already mad enough at us," she said, absolutely amazed at his stupidity. "You honestly think I'm going to go in there right now by myself and face all the questions they're gonna ask about where we were? Is that why you're going, so that you won't get yelled at? Because I have to tell you-" 

Derek was running out of time. Max had basketball practice in an hour, and Derek knew he usually arrived very early to get some extra practice in. He needed to hurry if he was going to make it over there in time. 

"Please, just do it," he begged her, his voice desperate. "I'll take the blame for everything later, if I don't come up with something by then. Just tell them that you want to wait until I get home to talk, okay?" 

She hesitated, biting her lip as she thought this over. She appeared to accept it, but she still had questions as she looked him in the eye, curious.

"Okay," she agreed, nodding. "But where are you really going?" 

He leaned across his seat, kissing her cheek softly, and he reached down to unbuckle her seatbelt. 

"I'll tell you later," he promised her, and when she was still pouting, he pushed the strap of the seatbelt away from her, forcing a smile. "Really, I will. Now go." 

And without another word, she nodded her head, and pulled the handle on the door, pushing it open. She cast him one more confused look, before climbing out, the door falling closed behind her. She stepped back onto the curb, and waved as her boyfriend pullled away from the curb, hands gripping the steering wheel tightly. 

It was time to have a little chat with Max about what exactly would be happening if this baby was his. Because the day that Max came near any child of Casey's, whether it shared his DNA or not, was the day that hell froze over. 

* * *

**So Max probably wouldn't even want a baby, of course, but Derek loves a good oppurtunity to get some more payback in, of course. Anyway, I'm sorry for this boring chapter, but I promise that the next chapter will be the turning point for the rest of the story. I feel it's necessary to tell you that this story was somehow inspired by the song 'Helena', by My Chemical Romance. So if you want, check that out. Anyway, review! **


	5. Arguments

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter Five: Arguments**

If someone were to merely describe Max based on his actions, one might think that he came from a troubled home. If you were to tell someone that he had raped and hit girls before, or that he was known to get into fist fights, that person might have assumed that he lived in some run down little neighbourhood. It would be easily assumed that he lived in a cheap little dingy shack of a home with a broken down fence out front, the paint on both structures chipping off more and more each day. But surprisingly, that was not the case. His mother was a nurse, and his father was a university professor. His older brother was in the NHL, something that Derek was well aware Max had mixed opinions on. He looked up to his older brother, and of course enjoyed the bragging rights that came along with his brother's career, but he despised hockey. But despite his feelings about the matter, it was very obvious that Max was from a very well respected family. And when he showed off his own charm, Max could easily be read as a real member of that family; caring, generous, motivated, and a hard worker. But Derek knew it was all a lie, because Derek knew the guy better than most others did.

So when he pulled up in front of Max's house, where he had been forced to pick up Casey by their parents a couple of times before, he looked up at the rather large and fancy place that Max went home to every single night, sighing. He hoped that nobody else would be home, because this wasn't exactly a conversation he wanted to be overheard. 

When he had parked the car, and made his way up to the doorstep, he rang the bell. It didn't surprise him that Max's family had one of those long, drawn out melodies that played whenever someone pressed the button. Derek rolled his eyes; it sounded like a freakin' symphony! He had never understood what was wrong with the good old fashioned, two second ring that alerted you that someone was at the door. 

He was pulled from his thoughts when the door swung open, and he found himself looking at a surprised looking Max. Derek, who had been leaning one arm up against the doorframe, pushed himself away from the door, shaking his hair away from his eyes casually. He didn't say a word as he merely stared down the guy, who folded his arms across his chest, his eyes narrowed. 

"What is it, Venturi?" he asked, an eyebrow raised. "I didn't do shit all to your girlfriend, and you've already gotten revenge for whatever it is you _think_ I did, which is whatever she told you." 

"I'm not here about that," Derek said, shaking his head. "-not directly, anyway. I'm here to talk to you about something else." 

He peered behind Max's shoulder at the white walls, and marble black floor that rested beneath his feet. 

"Mind if I come in?" he asked, not wanting to discuss this outside, in the open. 

Max snorted, obviously amused that Derek would even ask such a question.

"Do I mind?" he asked, smirking. "Of course I mind. Stop fooling around, and get the hell away from my house. We've already got enough history with the cops this week, thanks." 

He moved to close the door, but Derek reached out, putting his foot there to stop it from closing completely. Max paused, and shot Derek a glare, wrenching the door open again. He gave Derek an exasperated look, obviously pissed off. 

"What is your damage, D?" he questioned, and before he could yell some more, Derek smirked, knowing just how to get Max to let him in. 

"I don't have any damage," he said, shrugging. "But unless you want me to tell you what I have to say to you out here in the open, where anyone could hear you, I suggest you let me in. And I assure you, it could damage your reputation permanently." 

Max paled slightly, his eyes narrowing as he squinted at Derek, searching for truth. He was probably half afraid of closing the door in the guy's face, for he might just yell it out for him to hear, and Derek knew that he wasn't going to chance it being a bluff. 

Grabbing Derek by the collar of his leather jacket, he let out a low growl, and hauled him inside to the porch, tossing him roughly towards the bannister of the staircase. 

"Kitchen," he demanded, slamming the door. "That way, go." 

He pointed hastily towards the hallway closest to Derek, and, kicking off his sneakers, Derek complied. He made his way towards the room Max had motioned to, with his enemy only a foot or two behind him.

He finally got into the kitchen, which had white walls, and a black tile floor. The counters, like the floor in the other room, were marble, and Derek wasn't surprised to see that there was a dishwasher built in underneath one of the cupboards. His parents seemed to have fancy contraptions lying around, and Derek had no idea what they were, nor did he care. 

His eyes fell on a little girl with blonde hair, that was pulled back into two cute little pigtails. She looked to be no more than seven or eight, and she was wearing a pink and white striped shirt as she kneeled on a chair at the table, hunched over a purple folder. She was tapping her pencil impatiently against the table, and before Derek could even question who she was, Max had rolled his eyes, coming to a stop next to the table. 

"Keelia, out," he demanded, snapping the folder shut. The little girl jumped, and looked up at Max, pouting. 

"I'm doing my homework!" she said, sounding annoyed. "Mommy said if I get it done before she gets home, I can go with Daddy to see Brian's game tonight." 

Max frowned, confusion flickering across his face. 

"Why do you always go to see Brian play?" he questioned, sounding offended. "You never come to _my _games." 

The little girl shrugged, and as Max tossed her folder to the other side of the table, she sighed, and stood up. Placing a hand on her hip, she answered him.

"It's 'cause Brian's nice, and you're mean," she offered contently. "And footballs icky anyway." 

As Max glared at her, she turned to Derek, who had been standing across the kitchen with his hands stuffed into his pockets, observing the situation.

"Who are you?" she questioned, looking curious. Derek straightened up, and raised an eyebrow, glancing over at an angry-looking Max cautiously. 

"I'm uh, Derek Venturi," he informed her, shrugging. 

Her face brightened with realization, and she gave him an excited look, taking a step towards him. 

"Are you Marti's brother?" she questioned, and before Derek could question it, Max had placed a hand on his little sister's back, giving her an encouraging push towards the door. 

"Upstairs, Keelia," he ordered her, sounding completely determined now. "Enough socializing." 

"At least I _am_ social," she muttered, and it occured to Derek that she probably had no idea what the word social even meant. Shrugging it off, the little girl gave a huff, and stormed out of the room. Max pulled the sliding door closed behind her, and turned to Derek, who was still wondering how Keelia had known who his sister was. Max sensed this, and shrugged, looking annoyed. 

"They're in the same class," he offered, before folding his arms across his chest, his eyes narrowed. "What did you want, Venturi? Make it quick, I've got a practice to get to, as soon as my Dad gets home." 

Derek sighed, straightening up to look Max in the eye. He was going to make this quick, and then he was going to get home as soon as he could. He didn't want Casey to be back at home dealing with their parent's angry wrath all by herself. He was still trying to come up with a good excuse as to why they had been skipping school, because he had a feeling that she was too nerve-wracked to do it herself. Casey was never one to come up with good excuses anyway, in an extremely tight situation. He'd come up with something. 

"I'm going to just get this out there," Derek said, shrugging. "Casey's pregnant. We went down to the doctor's office today and got the test done. It was positive." 

Max had temporarily gone pale, and he was staring at Derek in wide-eyed surprise. Derek regarded this for a moment, before rushing on, not wanting to give Max the chance to interrupt. 

"I don't know if this is my baby, or yours. I'm hoping, for all of our sakes- that baby's included- that it's my kid. Because hell knows I wouldn't want to share a shred of DNA with an asshole like you. But I just decided to give you a little bit of insight as to what exactly is gonna happen, if my girlfriend happens to be unfortunately pregnant by you." 

Max folded his arms across his chest, putting on a tiny smirk to show that he didn't give a damn. 

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said, and when Derek rolled his eyes, he sighed, knowing that there was absolutely no use in denying what he had done. Derek knew what had happened, and so did he. 

Rolling his eyes, he unfolded his arms, and glared at him. 

"Fine, so I do," he admitted, shrugging. "But do you honestly think I'm gonna be lookin' after some whiny little brat? I don't even like my own kid sister." 

Derek laughed, and Max looked slightly taken aback as he squinted at Derek, unsure of what was so funny. When Derek stopped laughing, he shook his head, looking amused. 

"Do you honestly think I'd let you within ten feet of any child of Casey's, you're insane." 

When Max looked confused, he went on. 

"You won't be going near that baby, bud," he said, folding his arms defiantly. "I don't care if it's yours or not. I'm the one who is gonna be looking after Casey, and making sure she has a healthy pregnancy. I'm the one who is gonna be there in the delivery room. And you want to know something? DNA or not, this is going to be _my_ kid. I'm going to be the one raising it, and the day that you come within a foot of this child is the day you'll learn what it's really like to get me pissed off. So let me warn you now, just so you can't say you didn't know. If you go near Casey, talk to Casey, or even attempt to be involved in that child's life anytime in the future, I will personally make you pay. This is _my_ girlfriend, and _my_ child, and we're going to do just fucking fine without you getting involved. So I suggest you get over it, because I'm doing everything in my power to be named as this baby's official gaurdian. And I won't rest until you have absolutely no rights to him or her." 

Max rolled his eyes, not looking phased as he tilted his head to the side, shaking his head. 

"I don't give a damn about any baby," he said, shrugging. "Take it, raise it. I don't care, Venturi. One less problem on my plate." 

Derek studied the guy in front of him with so much hatred that he could barely contain it. He wanted to strangle him. He wanted to take him, and just hit him around until he felt remorse for everything he had done to Casey, and everything that he was causing now.

But he merely shook his head, hs eyes narrowed with disgust as he fought back his anger. 

"You disgust me," he hissed, his voice a low growl. "It's people like you that make me sick- which is exactly why I'm gonna leave now. I've got to go home and take care of my _girlfriend_. Since I know what it is to actually care about someone. Maybe you should learn something like that."

Max snorted, rolling his eyes as he remained unphased by Derek's words and threats. Without another word, Derek turned and began to walk off. He was proud of himself for containing his anger, and he knew that Casey was going to be proud of him too, for not using violence, for once. 

And then he heard Max speak up from behind him, his voice low and taunting. 

"Keep tabs on that girl of yours," he noted, causing Derek to freeze in his tracks, fists clenching tightly as he gritted his teeth. "Tell her to stop sleeping around, too. Maybe then you won't get landed with another kidd that's not even yours." 

And before there was time to think, Max was on the ground, clutching a bleeding nose, and watching as Derek strode away, fists still clenched by his sides. Okay, so he hadn't used violence. He'd let loose and hit the guy again. But damn, did it feel good anyway. 

- - - -

Derek was driving home when he got a call from Casey on his cellphone. He was about halfway home, and was finding himself stuck in some mid-afternoon traffic. School was actually just getting out, so the school bus' were all lined up along the side of the road, and the cars were going mad trying to get in and out of the school parking lots. 

He was stuck in a long line of cars, his head propped up against the window as he tapped his fingers impatiently against the steering wheel. When the phone rang, he glanced down at the screen, seeing Casey's cellphone number there. He flipped the phone open, hitting talk. He usually didn't talk while he was driving, but it could be something important, like their test results. 

"Hello?" he said, his voice hopeful.

"Hey," came Casey's soft voice, gentle as ever. "It's me." 

"I figured," he joked, laughing a little as he moved ahead a foot or so. "You know, considering I do have caller ID." 

"Shut up," she said jokingly, clearly not finding it funny. "Where are you?" 

Derek sighed, lifting his head from the window to tilt it back against the headrest. 

"Stuck in traffic," he admitted, shrugging one shoulder, which of course was pointless, as Casey could not see him do so. "I'm trying to get home as soon as I can. How did everything go with our parents?" 

He heard Casey breathe out a sigh of relief, and he frowned, waiting for her answer. 

"They apparantly went back to work," she noted, sounding pleased. "They must have gone home for lunch or something when they called you. There was a note on the counter telling us that we had better be there when they get home, and that they are very mad at us." 

"Lovely," Derek groaned, his eyes falling shut in frustration. "So we're basically grounded, unless I can think of something before then."

"Basically," he heard Casey agree, and a few of the cars ahead of him began to move. He started driving slowly behind them, ready to stop at any given moment. Sure enough, he had only moved ahead a couple of feet when he found himself coming to a stop again.

"Where did you go?" she questioned, sounding curious. "You were in such a rush to leave..." 

"It was nowhere important," he said, not wanting to admit to her that he had gone to yell at Max some more. She was already nervous enough about him getting into trouble for fighting with Max. She planned on bringing the note down to the police the next day, if they weren't grounded by then.

"Did the doctor's office call back?" he asked, hope in his voice.

"Yeah," Casey admitted, sounding like she was torn between fear, and happiness, or relief. "They called about twenty minutes ago. They told me I could stop by whenever." 

"Sounds good," Derek said, nodding to himself. He was getting frustrated with the cars ahead of him, and he let out a low growl, fed up with the waiting. 

"Screw this," he muttered, and as the cars moved forwards again, he turned sharply to the right, and turned down a side road that would eventually lead him towards his house. Sure, it would take an extra ten minutes to get home this way, but that was alright with him. He would rather take the long way home, as opposed to being stuck in traffic for another half an hour. 

"Listen, Derek," she said, taking a deep breath. She was completely serious as she went on. "I want you to know that I really appreciate how supportive you're being about this whole thing. You haven't once complained about having to deal with this, and you... you're being so supportive over a child that might not even be yours." 

Derek softened, smiling softly as he made a smooth turn onto another side road, loving the feeling of being able to drive without the constant line of traffic in front of him. 

"Well of course I'm going to support you, Casey," he said, wondering how she could ever think otherwise. "You're my girlfriend, and I love you very much. I told you right before you revealed this to me, that absolutely nothing you can tell me or do can change the way that I feel about you."

He meant every word of it, and he hoped that she would always know that. It was the truth, that he would love her despite all of the problems they had, and would, face in the future. 

"Well even if this is Max's baby, I hope you can still care about me, and love me just the same," she said, her voice sounding uncertain, yet hopeful. "I mean, I don't expect you to take care of me, or the baby... if it's not yours. I'm not that demanding, and I'll completely understand..." 

She trailed off, and Derek, for a moment, did not process what she had just said. He had to think it over for a moment, before the meaning of it began to sink in. He frowned, his body tensing slightly as he stopped briefly at a stop sign, and allowed the right of way to another waiting car.

"What are you talking about, Casey?" he questioned, figuring that he must have misunderstood her, or heard her wrong. "Of course I'm going to support you... even if this isn't my baby. You're my girl." 

There was silence for a moment, before he finally broke it, his voice a silent question of desperation. 

"Casey?" 

"Sorry," she murmered, sounding like she was suddenly sick to her stomach. "I'm here... I'm just... it's... I didn't expect you to support me. I... I _still _don't expect you to support me. I mean, it's going to be my baby, my responsibility. I don't think you should have to step up and-"

"What the _hell _is the matter with you?" 

His voice was angry and shocked, speechless and taken aback. How the hell could she even think something like that about him? Had he ever come off as the sort of guy who would leave her to face something like this alone? He hoped to God that he had never been that sort of boyfriend, to her.

"I just... I don't expect you to... I mean..." 

"I don't know what you could_ possibly _mean," he got out, absolutely amazed. "If that's what you think of me..." 

"It's not what I think of you... it's what I understand is right," she said, sounding as though she was upset, and that she had given this some real thought. "I don't want to hold you back. This wasn't your fault or anything. And it would be wrong of me to keep you away from a good life, because of something that shouldn't involve you." 

"You're being stupid," Derek said, shaking his head angrily. "DNA or not, this is gonna be my kid. I'm going to help you raise it. I'm not shoving all of this on you; that would be so wrong."

"Derek, please..." she whispered, her voice begging. "Just... trust me on this." 

"No," he said, turning roughly around a corner, and nearly hitting a parked car. He cursed under his breath, but whether it was at the car, or his girlfriend, he wasn't sure. 

"You listen to me," he said, his voice harsh and angry. "Are you honestly okay with letting your own child grow up without a father?" 

Casey gave a choked sob, and she was shaking her head, an action that was obviously unknown to Derek. 

"My child isn't going to grow up without a father," she assured him, and he knew then she was crying. He might have softened, if he hadn't of been so worried about her last statement. 

"Who's going to be the father, Casey?" he questioned, his voice mocking and sarcastic. "Max? Yeah, he's a _wonderful_ guy, and I can tell he'll make a real great father, too." 

There was fear pulsating through him now, and he was terrified that this was what she meant; that she was going to leave him for Max. The thought was ridiculous, and if he was thinking clearly, he might've known that Casey had promised him again and again that she would never leave him. But his mind was racing, and he had just noticed that he had turned down about three wrong roads by now, probably increasing his drive home by another fifteen minutes. He groaned, pounding his fist against the steering wheel angrily. 

"That's not what I meant," she assured him, and he could've sworn that his entire body relaxed, then. "I mean, I want you to go to university, and be able to get a job and everything. You've got so much potential, and you've been working hard over the past year or so to get your grades up, and I... I don't want to let it all go to waste. Once you finish university and stuff... if you want to... I'd be more than happy to let you..." 

"No!" Derek cried, freaking out. "You've worked hard your entire life to make a good future for yourself, and I won't let you throw it all away because you're being stubborn again."

"Stubborn _again_?" she questioned, sounding offended. "Are you saying that's something that usually happens, or something?" 

Derek remained silent. Yes, Casey had a tendency of being slightly stubborn; it was one of the traits that had always attracted him to her. Her fiesty attitude, and the determination that she often displayed against him was always something he had admired in her, for nobody else had ever stood against him before, aside from Casey. But when it came to something like this, to their entire future, he couldn't admire her determination as much as he usually would. She was suggesting that he stay out of the baby's life, until he had his own future secured. He could understand her concerns. Derek was a very protective guy, and he was someone who had a tendency of giving everything up to help the people he loved, when he cared about them enough. He hid that quality sometimes, as he had for the first year or so that Casey had lived in his house. But when it came to Casey, he would do anything on Earth for her. And it was obvious that Casey was well aware that he would do anything for her baby, whether it was his or not. And while this made sense to him, he still hated it when she was stubborn in this sort of way. 

"You can be stubborn at times, yeah," he admitted, well aware that she was going to be angry with him, for this. "It's not always a bad thing. But in this case, it is. If this was my baby, you'd want me to accept responsibility, right? So how is me stepping up for you anyway any different_ whatsoever_?" 

There was silence on the other line, and he knew that he had rendered her speechless. 

"Exactly," he muttered, frustrated. "I'm going to help you with that baby, Casey. So I suggest you stop acting so stubborn, and just learn to accept it. You can't face something like this on your own, and you're stupid if you even want to try." 

He could sense bitterness flicker into her voice as she spoke up again, and he knew that he had just triggered her anger, once more. 

"So now I'm stupid," she stated, her voice offended and hurt. "Wow, thanks Derek. Thanks alot; excuse me for caring about your future, and not wanting you to get involved in something you should never get tied down with. So do what you want, because I know I can never stop you. But I think you're making a mistake by giving up a good life to take care of something that's not your responsibility." 

Derek tensed as he approached the right road towards their home again, and he sighed, rubbing his temple with his hand. 

"It's times like this that I really don't understand you," he said, feeling frustrated. "Sometimes I feel like... I dunno, like you just don't understand how much you mean to me, and how serious I am about us. It hurts when you do stuff like this, Casey." 

"Stuff like _what,_ Derek?" she stressed, and he could tell that she was pouting with confusion, by now. He wasn't surprised, for he had never shared any of this with her before. He had never told her how he sometimes felt about their relationship, and that was that he occasionally felt that she didn't take him as seriously as he deserved to be taken. A part of him had to wonder if she sometimes still viewed him as the player he had been before they went out. He was worried that she was scared of fully believing that he had changed. On other days, he would completely discredit this theory to nothing more than foolishness, but it always returned. He knew that she was fully in love with him, but he sometimes had trouble expressing how serious he was about her, and their future. 

"Stuff like... I dunno, just doubting that I'm going to stick around," he admitted, trying his best to concentrate on the road, and not Casey. He knew that he shouldn't be talking on the phone while he was driving, but this had to be resolved, and he was way too concentrated on this conversation to hang up now.

"I sometimes think that you're afraid I'm not serious; that I'm just playing around, and I'm not," he went on. "Is that it?" 

"Not at all," she said, and he could hear the honesty in her voice. "You're not a player anymore, and I know that. I love you, Derek. I just want you to be able to get your own life straightened away, before you worry about my problems. But if you really want to try and help... I'll... I mean, this is your choice." 

When Derek made what felt like his thousandth wrong turn, he groaned, and decided that maybe it was best to go home to have this conversation with her. Making up in person was always best anyway. It always led to some very enjoyable makeup kisses. 

"You're stressing me out right now," he muttered, his eyes half falling closed as he struggled to pay attention to the roads. "I'm going to go." 

"Derek," she said, sensing his anger. "Please..." 

"I'll see you later, I guess," he said, completely frustrated. "I'll be home soon anyways."

"But I'm not-" 

"Bye, Casey." 

"Hang on a second," Casey said, and there was sudden realization in her voice. "Where are you, exactly?" 

Derek lost it then. Did she not understand that he didn't want to chance fighting with her anymore? He wanted to end this conversation, and go home to talk it out, where they could talk to each other face to face. 

"It doesn't matter where I am, Casey, I-"

Derek's eyes fell on the stop sign at the last second. The road was empty, with the exception of one other car, which was passing in front of his, having reached the stop sign before he did. He hadn't realized how fast he was travelling down the road, and he hadn't recognized that he should have stopped to let the other car pass. 

But the second he felt the front of his prized car smash into the driver's side of the passing vehicle, he knew that he had made a mistake. He couldn't hear a thing as his cellphone flew out of his hands, and the car that he had so recently hit was launched in the opposite direction, rolling over. He couldn't count how many times it rolled, because after he witnessed the first horrifying turn of the car, he felt himself being propelled forwards, but the seatbelt tightened, and yanked him back down into his seat. It was suddenly hard to breathe, and he felt the car crash into something on the side of the road. He could only pray that, if it was another car, nobody was in it. But before he had much of a chance to worry about it, he felt everything spin, and he blacked out, the scene of shattering glass succeeding in being the last thing that passed by his vision. His last concious thought was that he hoped to God that Casey hadn't heard all of that. He didn't want her to be scared.

Even if he was.

* * *

**So neither of them are really acting like themselves right now, but they are under alot of stress, and they are both sort of saying things that they don't mean. Anyway, there's the plot change I mentioned, and it will affect the rest of the story. Review, and I'll update, because the next chapter is ready to go!**


	6. Out Cold

**So this is a short chapter, but it was necessary for the story to progress. Sorry for the cliffhanger, and I can't really promise that this chapter will be any better, but enjoy anyway! A few of you guessed where this chapter was going to go, and one of you already knew of course, but congratulations to the ones who figured it out!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter Six: Out Cold**

"-been knocked out cold for four hours." 

"Yeah, but the doctors said he'd be just fine, once he woke up." 

"He's not going to be fine when we-" 

"Shh, I think he's waking up." 

Derek opened his eyes groggily, the voices of his brother and his father pounding painfully throughout his ears. Did they have to be so loud? Didn't they understand that his head was hurting? He didn't even know why it was hurting, or why his legs felt wobbly, or why his entire body seemed to be wracked with pain. But he figured someone would tell him. 

The first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was his younger brother, Edwin. Edwin was fourteen by now, and his hair had gotten a bit longer over the past year or so. It was still cut closer to his head than Derek's ever had been, but it fell around his eyes more than it once had, and he was beginning to take on the same build as his older brother had possessed at his age. 

He then saw his father, still wearing a jacket, staring down at him with a mixture of concern and relief.

"Dad?" he questioned, squinting at the man above him. "Ed?" 

"How you feeling, bro?" Edwin asked, taking a seat carefully on the edge of Derek's bed. Derek groaned as he pulled himself into a sitting position, looking around the hospital room that he had somehow landed himself in. The walls were a pale blue, the floor a boring white tile pattern. What was he even doing here? But it all came back to him in sudden flashes. The argument with Casey, the stop sign that he'd run by accident, the first car that he'd hit, the second unidentified object he'd felt his car smash into...

And he freaked. 

"Oh God," he choked out, looking around. "Wh-What did I do? How long have I been here?" 

"Four hours or so," George informed his son, placing a hand on his shoulder to coax him back down into the bed. "But you're okay. The doctors told us that you just had a mild concussion, and that you should be able to leave in a few days. You've got a few sprains and cuts... and you had to get stitches, but you're going to be just fine. I don't want you to worry." 

Derek looked around, gulping as his body shook with nerves and fear. He found himself subconciously moving every single part of his body, as though he were testing to make sure everything was still there, and everything was still working properly. When he found that he could move everything, even if it hurt a little, he was relieved, and he lay back down against his pillow, closing his eyes briefly. He was trying to take all of this in, but it wasn't exactly an easy thing to face. 

He felt the top half of his bed moving a little, and he looked down to see his father pressing the button that would help him sit up, with support. 

"You never answered my question," Edwin said, though it was obvious that he understood Derek wasn't really thinking straight. "How do you feel?" 

Derek snorted, trying his hardest to keep his tired eyes from falling shut again. 

"Like shit," he admitted, shrugging. "But you know me... I... I bounce back pretty quickly." 

Edwin chuckled lightly, his laughter nervous and shaky, as though he was still getting used to the idea that Derek was really okay. 

"How's the car?" Derek asked, cringing slightly. "The Prince... did it make it out?"

George and Edwin shared a look, which Derek could read quite easily. He understood that the days that The Prince had spent on the throne were officially over. 

"The car... uh, it didn't really survive it," Edwin said, cringing at him. "But luckily for you, I'm the brains of this family, and your insurance, it will-"

Edwin stopped when his father clapped a hand on his shoulder, giving his son a very serious look as he shook his head, signalling for him to stop talking. 

"Not the time, Ed," he reminded him, and they shared a knowing look, before the younger boy fell silent again, speechless. George looked back up at his son, cringing at the gash that was on the side of Derek's head, near his right temple. It would be covered by his hair, when it was properly positioned, he knew, but it still looked very painful. It had been stitched over, and George could only hope that the stitches would last. 

"Do you want me to get the doctor in here, now?" he asked, wanting his son to get the best help possible. "He can look you over, make sure you're completely alright?" 

"No!" Derek said, clamping his hand as firmly as he could over his father's wrist, using the little energy that he had. His father, who had been standing up to go out and get the doctor, frowned, and sat back down, realizing that his son had more to say, or more questions to ask. He gave Derek a concerned look, frowning. Derek had a feeling that he knew exactly what he was going to ask. 

"There's some stuff I wanna know, first," he said, shaking his head. "Before the doctors come in here and start poking at me, and I won't be able to get two words out of my mouth." 

George looked like he knew full well about the words that were going to leave his sons mouth, but he kept his own mouth firmly shut as he gave a firm nod, telling his son to go ahead with whatever it was he had to say. Derek drew in a deep breath, trying to mentally, and physically prepare himself to ask this question. 

"What about the person in the other car?" he asked, terrified. "Did they... did they make it out okay?" 

George and Edwin glanced at each other, both of them looking as though they had no idea as to how they were supposed to answer that question. Derek waited anxiously as the both of them looked away from each other, and glanced down at the floor, blushing. Neither of them had the courage to tell him about what had happened; that was painfully obvious. And he knew that, if this was the case, then the news could not be anything short of horrible. 

"Someone tell me what happened," he whispered, his voice begging. "Please... I just want to know. This whole stupid accident was my fault, and if I caused someone else to... to... God, I can't even say it. Please just tell me I didn't kill anyone. I know that I hit at least one car-" 

"You hit two," George said quietly, his head still bowed down, his voice quiet. Derek paled, his stomach turning over with nausea, and he waited anxiously for his father to continue with the explanation. 

"The first one you hit was the one that was already passing through," he noted, knowing that his son had already been aware of this. "-that car rolled a couple of times, and then stopped when it crashed into a sign a little bit down the road. The second one was a parked car, and luckily for you, there was nobody in it at the time. The damage on that one isn't that bad, and insurance is going to cover most of it. But the first car was totally destroyed, and so is yours."

"How many people in the first one?" Derek questioned, relieved that there had been absolutely nobody in the second car. The less people he had hurt in this thing, the better. Because he knew the guilt would always be there, considering this whole accident had been his fault.

George bit his lip, his eyes looking distracted. 

"Just one person," he informed his son, not sounding overly happy about things. "The driver."

"And are they okay?" Derek asked, his eyes wide with concern, as his entire body ached with fatigue and pain. Nobody answered him, and he felt anger rising up in every fibre of his body. 

"Someone answer me!" he demanded, his voice harsh and frustrated. "I deserve to know whether or not I killed someone, or paralyzed someone, or... or... I can't even think about any of it." 

George shook his head, sympathy in his eyes as he tried to calm his son down.

"This is why we aren't telling you," he noted, nodding towards him. Derek calmed down a little, knowing that he was completely freaking out. "You're weak right now, and the stress of all of this isn't going to do you any good at all." 

Derek stared at his father for a moment, before tilting his head back against the pillow, his eyes squeezing shut painfully. 

"I killed someone, didn't I?" he murmered, wanting to cry. "Just tell me that much, because you're stressing me out more by keeping it from me. Just get it over with." 

George and Edwin both seemed absolutely speechless, but it was Edwin that managed to come up with something to say, as he shook his head sadly at his brother. 

"We honestly can't tell you," he said quietly, and Derek was about to flip out, when he noticed something else about the situation.

Glancing around, he frowned, craning his neck as though looking for something. Edwin frowned at him, slightly confused as to what his older brother was doing. He raised an eyebrow, his eyes curious.

"Um, D?" he questioned, shaking his head. "What are you looking for?" 

Derek turned to his brother, confused. He was frowning, and there was sudden realization in his eyes. 

"Where's Casey?" he asked, figuring that she would've been the first one to be by his side in a situation like this. "And Nora? Lizzie and Marti? Are they out in the waiting room?" 

If Edwin and his father gave each other that dark and knowing look one more time, Derek was going to scream. It was like they had all of this knowledge, and they weren't willing to share any of it with the guy who deserved to know everything. He shook his head, ready to flip out again, but George noticed this, and turned to his son, speaking up. 

"Marti is over to the Davis' house," he told him, and Derek nodded, understanding this. Marti _was_ awfully young to be in a place like this, under such circumstances. "Lizzie and Nora... they're... they're in the waiting room, talking to one of the doctors, I think." 

"And Casey?" he asked desperately. That was who he really wanted to see. He knew that she'd need some comforting, right about now. After everything he had said to her before, he wanted to apologize for being such a huge jerk, and tell her that he did love her, despite their arguing. He knew that she already knew this, but it never hurt to tell her. And he knew that she must have been terrified, after hearing the accident from the other line. He wanted her to know he was okay, and what's more, is that he needed her to tell him everything would be okay. Casey was what he really needed right now.

But suddenly, he felt sick to his stomach, because the looks on Edwin and George's faces were ones of absolute pain and fear, worse than they had been all along. It was like something that Derek had just said had been the trigger to something that they didn't want to reveal. 

"Dad..." he said slowly, his voice shaking fearfully. "You guys... where's Casey? I need to see her; I need to make sure she's okay, after everything that we said to each other earlier." 

Neither of them answered, and he slammed his fist down against the mattress violently as he felt anger bubble up in his chest. 

"Some had better tell me where she is _right now_!" he growled, his voice angry and scared. He dropped his tone slightly as he added a desperate "-please?"

George looked up, and Derek was terrified when he saw that his father- his very own father- was close to crying. George never cried, _never_. Unless, of course, his favourite team lost during hockey, but that was a different story altogether. When his Dad cried, Derek knew that something was serious.

"Derek," he said slowly, placing a hand on his son's arm gently. "There was only one person in the first car you hit. And it... it kills me to tell you this, it really does... but the other car you hit was Emily's. Casey had borrowed it to go out somewhere, since Emily hadn't taken it to school. She must have texted her asking if she could get the keys off of Emily's father, or something, and-"

"No," Derek whispered, as the realization of his father's words began to sink in, and tears welled up in his eyes. "No, you're lying." 

"I'm sorry, Derek," his father said, a tear finally escaping his eyes. "The person you hit, the person in the other car... it was Casey."

* * *

**Well... I did warn you. I will update again when I get reviews, so you know what that means! The little button down there is just begging to be clicked! **


	7. For Casey

**So I didn't want to make you wait a long time for this chapter. I'm not that mean! So enjoy. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. **

**Chapter Seven: For Casey**

Derek had never understood how people claimed that life could change in an instant. Sure, he understood that life could change because of an event, but generally, over a long period of time. He had always figured that one split second could not change all that much. 

Now he knew he was wrong. From the moment his father had spoken those dreaded words, he had known that everything he knew was over. One split, heartbeat, fraction of a second had completely turned his world upside down, shaking it, twisting it, destroying it. Second thoughts and regrets were shooting through his mind faster than he could even process them, and all he could think about was the pain he had caused Casey, and himself. How was he supposed to live with the knowledge of knowing that he had hurt her? Sure, it had been unintentional, but it had been his own stupidity, his own bad judgement and lack of attention that may have caused Casey her life. And he would never forgive himself if his mistake had killed her. The 'what ifs' kept flickering through his mind, each one being pushed aside just as quickly as it had replaced the old. What if he had hung up the phone a moment later, giving him more time to react? What if he had let her finish her sentence? What if he hadn't made all of those wrong turns? What if he'd just stayed on the right road? What if he hadn't gone to Max's house in the first place? He wished with all of his heart that he had been driving even a fraction slower than what he had been, because then he would've reached the stop sign after she had already passed. 

All of these thoughts managed to go through his mind within ten seconds after his father had spoken, and now, he looked up at his brother and father giving him looks of sympathy. And they suddenly looked different to Derek. They looked innocent, and they looked like they weren't living with the same sort of pain as Derek was right now. Sure, they were probably torn up over what had happened to the two oldest in their family, but they didn't have to feel the guilt and shame of what had happened. 

"Tell me she's alive," Derek whispered, his voice hoarse, cracking on every syllable. "Tell me she's okay." 

Edwin shook his head, looking downwards, and George gave him an honest and searching look, shrugging his shoulders. 

"I can't tell you that," he said, and Derek felt his heartbeat speed up. "The last time we checked, yes. She was alive. But her heart has already failed two times, and they're having alot of trouble getting her completely stabalized. She was already unconcious by the time they got there, and apparantly, the trauma to her head is almost as bad as the heart trouble she's having. They're focusing on her heart right now, but they say that if they don't get to work on her head trauma in time, that could prove fatal too." 

Derek was pale, and his palms were sweaty as he fought back the tears in his eyes. This couldn't be happening to his girlfriend. He couldn't have done something like this. This had to be some sort of a sick joke, or one of those dreams where you wake up right when it feels like your world is about to come crashing down. If it was, he was so ready to wake up now. 

Another thought occured to him, and he felt almost guilty for momentarily forgetting about the issue that had been consuming his world for the past couple of days. He supposed the baby wasn't weighing on his mind as heavily as Casey was, because the idea was so new to him, whereas he had been protecting Casey for months. But just because he was more concerned about Casey, didn't mean he didn't care about the baby, so he looked into his father's eyes, cringing, ready to ask about the baby that may or may not be his. He decided not to mention Max, or the rape. That was Casey's decision, not his.

"What about... I mean, I know me and Casey never told you guys... but she was... _is_... she's-" 

"-pregnant?" George questioned quietly, sighing. When Derek bowed his head, George nodded, and went on, sounding disappointed and worried. "We already know. The doctors figured it out pretty soon after she got here. And to answer your question, we have absolutely no idea as to whether or not the baby survived. I left Nora and Lizzie in the waiting room almost immediately to come in here and wait with you. Someone had to be here when you woke up." 

"Are you mad?" Derek questioned, focusing on the pregnancy for just a moment. "We never meant for it to happen, we really never." 

George shook his head, running a hand casually through his light coloured hair, sounding completely stressed out. 

"I don't have the energy, or the heart, to be mad at either of you," he admitted, his voice tired. "Right now, I'm not even sure if there's going to be a baby to worry about. In fact, I wouldn't be so sure that we're even going to have Casey around to worry about, much longer." 

"Stop it," Derek whispered, his eyes falling shut for a moment. His brother and father respected his wishes, and remained silent as he tried to take all of this. They knew that he was hurting, but he rather felt that neither one of them could ever fully understand the feeling of bringing harm to your girlfriend, and your child. The pain was intense, and it was shooting throughout every crevice of his body, darkening his once cheerful mood into remorse, and nothing short of absolute heartbreak. 

"I want to see her," he finally said, his head lifting away from his hands suddenly. "Take me to see Casey." 

George winced, clearly not approving of this idea, and he shook his head quickly, unsure of whether or not this was such a good idea. 

"I don't know, Derek," he said, watching as his son's face darkened with anger. "It might stress you out, and... and I don't think anyone is allowed in there right now."

"Dad, don't you know I don't _follow_ the rules?" he questioned, shaking his head. "I don't care if I'm allowed in there or not. If I wanna see my girlfriend, I'm going to see her. And as for stressing me out... well, it's just gonna stress me out more if I don't see her." 

George gave Edwin an apprehensive glance, as though searching for an answer, and when Edwin gave an almost invisible nod, George sighed, and turned back to his oldest son.

"I'll call the nurse in here, and get her to get you into a wheelchair," he said, and when he saw Derek's eyes widen with horror, and his face go white with fear, he held up a hand, shaking his head. "Don't worry! You're fine; you're just too weak to walk right now. You're going to be absolutely fine." 

"I can walk," he argued, and sure enough, ten minutes later, he found himself walking very slowly and unsteadily down the hallway, with the help of his brother. His father was gone to talk to Nora and Lizzie, leaving Edwin to help his brother walk down the hall. 

"You know you're not going to be allowed in that room," he said, like his father had told him over twenty times. "We're gonna get stopped halfway down this hallway, and they're going to make us turn around and go back to the waiting room. You're lucky the nurse even let you leave the room. If you had of told her where you were going..." 

"Ed, shut up," Derek said, rolling his eyes at his brother. When Edwin fell silent, Derek managed to give a tiny grin, almost invisible to the naked eye. "Wow, I like you alot better when you're not talking."

Edwin kept his mouth firmly closed, knowing that his brother wasn't even thinking clearly right about now, and not to argue with him on any matters. He knew full well that their father had only let him attempt to go see Casey, because Derek would not rest until he had at least tried his damn hardest. 

But true to Edwin's suspicions, they were stopped halfway down the hallway to Casey's room by a wandering nurse, who gave the two of them a curious look. 

"What are you two young men doing down this way?" she asked suspiciously, and when her eyes fell on Derek, she frowned. He was wearing his own hoodie over hospital clothes, since he'd refused to go out into the hallway looking entirely like a patient. He had gotten his father to this particular piece of clothing from the trunk of their own car, since his own clothes had been destroyed. So technically, he looked semi-normal. But his pale face, his tired eyes, and the stitches and bruises that were evident on his body were enough to tell the nurse everything she needed to know. 

"You're Derek Venturi, right?" she asked, and when Derek looked away, she sighed, grasping his arm. "First of all, you're not to be out wandering the halls, Mr. Venturi. You're weak right now, and we don't need you on the missing list." 

"The other nurse told my Dad I could leave my room!" he argued, pulling out of her grasp to stop in his tracks. "I'm trying to go to see my girlfriend, if you don't mind." 

The nurse studied him carefully, and sighed, shaking her head. 

"If she told you to leave, you should at least be in a wheelchair, and you most definitely aren't going to be allowed into Miss McDonald's room at the moment. We've got a team of medical experts in there trying to save her life, and the smallest distraction could throw them off completely. We can let you know if there are any updates, which means you could stay in your own room while you wait." 

Derek glared at her, shaking his head. 

"I want to see Casey," he said, and when he felt someone holding onto his wrist, he looked down to see his brother shaking his head, pulling Derek towards him. 

"It's not worth it," he said quietly, his eyes serious. "It could cost Casey her life, if we go in there right now. You're not gonna do her any good, okay? Just... come on, we'll go back to your room, and I'll go down to the cafeteria to get us some food, alright? I hear they serve an awesome poutine down there. You love that." 

Derek turned his head to the side, his hair falling over his eyes, so broken and lost that even Edwin could feel the smallest shred of his brother's pain. He couldn't imagine what Derek was going through right now.

"I'm not hungry," he said quietly, and on any other day, Edwin would've nearly fallen over with shock. But today, he understood. 

He nodded, and bit his lip, looking back up at the nurse. 

"I'll take him back to his room," he informed her solemnly. "Make sure someone comes to talk to us the second they know anything on Casey or the baby, okay?" 

The nurse nodded sadly, sympathy flickering through her eyes as she saw a silent Derek staring down at the floor, his hair covering his eyes, hiding his pain.

"I'll send someone along as soon as we hear anything," he said, grasping Derek by the elbow. "C'mon, bro. Lets get you back to bed." 

Derek didn't even speak. He merely allowed his brother to lead him back to his room, not bothering to put up a fight. He wasn't too sure he had enough fight left in him to utter a single word, anymore. 

- - - -

Edwin sat with Derek for an hour before he finally claimed that he was going to go use the washroom, and get something to eat. Derek didn't mind him leaving; he appreciated how patient Edwin had been with him for the past hour. He had barely said a word- merely answered when he was spoken to, and inquired as to how long they had been waiting, once or twice. But Edwin- God love him- had sat there patiently with his older brother, respecting the fact that Derek needed some time to think, but he also didn't want to be alone. He hated admitting it, but he was scared to be alone. He wanted someone to be there with him, to know that not everybody hated him for what he had done to Casey. 

"Do you want anything?" Edwin asked, as he shrugged into his sweater. "I can brng you back something when I come back." 

Derek shook his head, his eyes fixed on his hands as he leaned back against the headboard, sighing. Edwin frowned, stuffing his hands into his pockets, and brushing his hair away from his eyes by flicking his head gently. 

"You've got to eat, D," he said, shaking his head. "I'm bringing you something, so it might as well be something you want." 

"Surprise me," Derek muttered, with an almost non-exsistant shrug. He turned his head to look out the window, watching out of the corner of his eye as Edwin cringed at his brother's words, and nodded his head, looking down at the floor. 

"Alright then," said Edwin, as he turned towards the door. He had just placed his hand on the doorknob, when Derek turned, his voice louder than it had been in the past hour. 

"Hey, Ed?" he questioned, and his brother glanced over his shoulder, an eyebrow raised hopefully. 

"Yeah?" 

He almost seemed worried that he had done something to get his brother mad, but on the other hand, his eyes brought a new hope that maybe Derek was going to say something good. The second was proved to be true when Derek smiled very weakly, nodding his head. 

"Thanks," he said, forcing the word out. It took alot for Derek to use his manners, and when he actually sounded like he meant something, however hard it was to actually get it out, you knew you truly deserved it. 

Edwin smiled back, nodding his head casually. 

"No problem." 

And without another word, he was gone. 

- - - - -

Lizzie was next to come sit with Derek. She came in casually, about five minutes after she watched her stepbrother leave, and Derek couldn't help but feel like Edwin had sent her in there to sit with him, as though he was scared that Derek would try and do something stupid, either to himself, or in general. And really, Derek couldn't say he blamed him. He wasn't too sure if he had complete and total control over his own actions, anymore. All he could think about was the pain that Casey was in. And he hated admitting it, but the IV system that the nurse had set up for a morphine release was beginning to look very tempting to him. He had already clicked it once or twice. She had told him it was for pain, and really, that was what he was using it for. 

Heartbreak was one of the more severe forms of pain, after all. 

When Lizzie sauntered into the room, Derek felt his body tense up. What if Lizzie blamed her older stepbrother for what had happened to her sister? He felt so guilty, and he was surprised that anyone was coming to visit him. In his opinion, he didn't deserve to have people concerned over him. He was a horrible person. 

Lizzie, who was wearing her sister's Thompson High hoodie, probably the first thing she had been able to find, stepped into the room, her eyes red, and her entire body seemed to be overcome with fatigue as she closed the door behind her, and crossed the room to sit on Derek's bed. She looked up into his saddened eyes, sniffing a little. Derek examined her for a moment; her and Edwin had both grown up so much in the past year or so. Lizzie's hair had grown way past her shoulders now, and it looked quite pretty as it fell smoothly across her back, the blonde and brown mixtures of hair curled into little ringlets. 

They both seemed to be afraid to say anything, but it was Lizzie who finally spoke up.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, wiping her eyes on the sleeve of the hoodie. "Are you doing okay?"

Derek shrugged, not bothering to say anything, and she straightened up, placing her hands in the front pocket of the hoodie. 

"I'm sorry for not coming earlier," she said, sounding genuinely apologetic. "I was just so... I wasn't really in the mood to visit anyone. I wanted to make sure my sister was going to be okay, and I didn't want to leave my Mom alone, and Edwin and George were already in here. I just-" 

"Stop," he said, placing a hand on her arm. "You shouldn't be apologizing for anything, Liz. If anything, I should be apologizing to you. Lizzie, I am so, so sorry for what I did to your sister." 

Lizzie frowned, shaking her head. She looked confused as she spoke up in response to her stepbrother's words. 

"It was an accident," she reminded him, her voice honest. "I know you never intentionally did this to her. And you don't need to be feeling guilty right now; you've got enough to be dealing with." 

Derek closed his eyes for a moment, sighing. How the hell had his life turned this horrible, in the matter of a few short hours? If you had told him yesterday that he would be in this sort of a situation, he would have never believed you. But now, he knew that his entire life was in another section of the same hospital as he was currently in, fighting for her life. And it was all because of him. If it wasn't for the fact that he knew he could be interfering with her treatment, he would be in that room right about now, holding her hand. He wondered if she was scared, or if she knew that Derek had done this to her. He wondered if she wanted him there by her, or if she could even think at all.

"Did you see her?" he asked Lizzie, his eyes desperate as he waited for her answer. "Did you get to look at her at all?" 

Lizzie winced, and sniffed again as she nodded her head, looking troubled and haunted by the memory.

"I saw her when they brought her in," she admitted, her voice scared. "Me and Mom got here before the ambulance. They called George first, and when he called Mom, we were sort of driving not too far from the hospital, and we managed to get here before they brought you guys in." 

"How did she look?" Derek asked quietly, sitting up straighter. It was like he had a thosuand questions, and if Lizzie could answer even two or three of them for him, to put his mind slightly at rest, he would be just a little bit satisfied. He wanted, no- _needed_ answers. 

Lizzie shook her head, her eyes focused on the bed. 

"She looked... she looked like..." 

Lizzie looked up at Derek, tears in her eyes as she struggle for the right words. 

"She looked like she was already gone," she whispered, not knowing that her words were breaking Derek's heart. "She wasn't moving, and her face was all pale, and she looked like she was never going to wake up again. Actually, she looked like she was better off not waking up anymore. I can't imagine how much pain she'll be in when she does."

Derek's eyes were closed to hide the salty tears welling up behind his eyes. He nodded his head, signalling that he understood. 

"I get it," he said, not wanting to hear her descriptions anymore. "How's your Mom holding up?" 

Lizzie sighed, sounding a little bit braver when she was talking about her mother, not her currently unconcious sister. 

"She's not doing too good," she noted, shaking her head. "She keeps crying, and I don't know how to get her to stop. Your Dad is out there with her now, trying to tell her it'll all be okay." 

Lizzie caught sight of the troubled look in Derek's eyes as he stared down at the bed, thinking hard. She must have interpreted what he was feeling, for she shook her head, her voice calm when she spoke up again. 

"She doesn't blame you either, Derek," she assured him, her voice honest. 

Derek shrugged, his voice harsh as he replied to his stepsister. 

"She should," he argued, hating himself. "You all should." 

He sure as hell did. 

- - - - 

It was another forty-five minutes before Derek finally found himself to be alone. He had told Lizzie that he needed a little while to be alone, to get some rest. He told her not to send anyone in unless they had news about Casey, or the baby. He knew that Edwin would probably not see Lizzie before then, and would come up with something to eat for his brother, but he figured that he could get a few moments to himself, to check his missed calls. He couldn't care less about most of them. Only one was important to him. 

His phone had somehow been salvaged from the wreck, and had been placed on the chair next to his bed, along with some of his other belongings. It was dented up, and full of scratches, but it was still working, nonetheless. 

He knew that he shouldn't be using his cellphone in a hospital, but he absolutely had to. He needed to find out whether or not the baby that was in such grave danger was even his.

So he scanned through his calls until he found the right one; the doctor's office that he had called last night. He knew it was late, but he prayed that someone would still be there. 

He dialed the number, and thanked the heavens when someone actually picked up. By the sounds of it, it was the same woman as before. Derek thought back; it seemed like another lifetime that him and Casey had gone to the doctor's office. But in all reality, it had only been that afternoon. Anything before the accident somehow seemed like decades before, to him. 

"This is Derek Venturi," he said, nervously picking at a loose strand on the end of his bedsheet. "I was there earlier today with my girlfriend, Casey. She was going to pick up the results this afternoon, I think, but something came up, and she couldn't get in. Would you be able to release them to me?" 

He could sense the sympathy in the woman's voice as she replied, giving the one answer that Derek didn't want to hear. 

"I'm sorry, Mr. Venturi, but I'm not really supposed to give these results over the phone. Privacy and confidentiality reasons. I hope you understand. You can, however, drop in anytime you want, and get them. We're open at eight o'clock tomorrow morning." 

Derek closed his eyes, his fist closing tightly around the bedsheet beneath him. 

"Please," he begged, his voice desperate. "She can't go in there to get them, and neither can I." 

The woman on the other end of the line was silent, and Derek knew he had her interested, so he went on. 

"We were both in an accident this afternoon," he said, not going into detail on the matter. "I'm in hospital right now, and she's still... they're still trying to... to..."

"I get it," she said quickly, her voice sympathetic. "I saw something about a collision on the news, when I was taking my supper break. That's horrible, Mr. Venturi. If there was something I could do for you..." 

"You could tell me how far along she is, so I can try and measure whether or not this can even be my child. I need to know if the baby that they're fighting to save is even mine. Please, I'm actually begging you. I can't get in there, and I want to know."

There was momentary silence, and Derek held his breath as he practically listened to her thinking out loud. Finally, she gave a defeated sigh, and he heard the rustling of papers in the background. 

"Fine," she said, sounding stressed. "I shouldn't be doing this; it's lucky for you I've got a big heart... Venturi, Venturi... ah, here we are." 

Derek waited, his palms sweaty as he stared off anxiously at the wall. 

"Okay, it says here that your girlfriend has... or had... a healthy pregnancy going for her. She was showing no signs of future complications, and she... she was ten weeks along." 

"Two and a half months," Derek breathed out, his eyes fluttering shut with relief. "Two and a... it's mine. That's my child." 

"I'm glad I could help you," the woman said, sounding a little bit happier herself. "Please, don't tell anyone I released that information to you. And I wish you and your girlfriend the best of luck, I really do. I hope that all three of you come out of this okay."

"Me too," Derek whispered, sighing.

When he ended the call, and placed the cellphone on the nightstand next to him. He stared off silently, relief flickering through him. It had been his baby all along. Max wasn't going to be the father. He vaguely wondered how Casey had not noticed something like that for two and a half months, but he pushed it aside. All that mattered was that the rape had only been a month before; Max being the father wasn't even a possibility. And for a brief moment, Derek felt happiness through the pain. Something was going right for him today. It was just a faint light in the pitch black tunnel of troubles that he knew he was about to face, but it was something to keep him going. 

"We're gonna be fine," Derek whispered into thin air, his voice shaky. "Casey's gonna wake up, and in a few months, we're gonna have this baby together, and everything will be perfect." 

Before he could process another thought, the door opened up, and Derek looked up, ready to tell whoever it was to go away; he wanted to have some time to himself. 

But all thoughts of sending his visitor away evaporated instantly when he saw a male doctor walk into the room, holding a few papers attached to a clipboard. He looked solemn as he looked down at Derek, closing the door behind him. Derek wondered if this man could sense his fear as he gulped nervously, staring at the doctor in wide-eyed surprise. 

The man finally looked down at Derek, squinting at him through his rimmed glasses. He was an older man, presumeably in his fifties, and his hair was thinning and grey. 

"Mr. Venturi?" he questioned, and Derek nodded rapdily, clenching and unclenching his fists nervously. 

"Yeah?" he questioned, desperate now. "That's me. What do you want? Is it about Casey or the baby?" 

"The nurse told me to come to you immediately with any news of either of them," he said, taking in a deep breath. Derek was already scared, because he didn't trust the sympathetic look in this man's eyes.

"I guess there's no easy way to tell you this, so I'm just going to say it," he said, and Derek gulped; that didn't sound good. "Your girlfriend lost the baby. Her body is barely functioning enough to keep herself alive, and... there was no way a fetus that young could have survived. It was amazing that he or she was able to hold on as long as they did." 

Derek's eyes had fallen shut again. Whatever happiness he had just felt was completely gone by now. 

"And Casey?" he got out, his voice shaking as he fought back tears. "Please don't tell me you lost her too." 

The doctor was silent for so long that Derek felt the need to open his eyes, and look at the man in front of him, his eyes desperate as he searched for truth.

"Please, answer me," he begged, shaking his head. "How is my girlfriend?" 

Taking a deep breath, the man began to answer. 

"Like I said, she's having enough trouble keeping herself alive, right now," he said, his voice regretful. "I just told your parents this, and I guess it's only right that I tell you too. Things aren't looking good. Her head injury is looking pretty serious, and she has lost alot of blood by now. We're trying to replace it, but it may not be enough to save her."

He finally saw the pain in Derek's eyes, and he shook his head, cringing. 

"It'll be a miracle if she makes it through the night." 

And the moment he was gone, Derek began to cry. For what he had done. For himself; for their unborn child, who had just lost all chances of ever coming into this world. For Casey.

Especially for Casey.

* * *

**So I updated as quickly as I could last time. I'll try for another quick update, but please review. I usually write faster when I feel like people really want the next chapter, haha. Don't kill me yet, please. **


	8. Not Good

**The chapters will get longer again, I promise. These are mainly just progressing the plot, and are therefore short. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter Eight: Not Good **

Derek had never been a patient kind of guy. He hated waiting, especially when there was something he really needed to know. Even when he had been a little kid, he'd always been that guy in class who would sit there, tapping their foot impatiently, or pulling on girl's pigtails to occupy himself during a wait. Eventually, it had progressed to doodling, or tapping out a random drum beat with his pencils, when in school.

But today, he was passing his waiting time away by whining to anyone who would listen to him. And that list was steadily thinning. 

"How long does it take someone to come and get me?" he whined, frowning. "I mean, all I asked was if I could go see Casey. Nora went in and saw her. You and Lizzie went in and saw her. Dad saw her. But did they let me in to see the girl I spent the whole night worrying over? Did they bother counting how many times I paged a nurse to come in and tell me how she was doing?" 

Edwin kept his chin in his hands, bored of his older brother's whining as he blew his hair away from his eyes. Derek turned his head, his lips set firmly in a half scowl, half pout. He was extremely moody, and Edwin would not have been surprised if the poor guy had a nervous breakdown, or something. He had been ranting all day now, and who had been dubbed as the lucky one who got to look after him? You guessed it; the reliable, and responsible little brother. He really needed to rethink his reputation as a helpful guy. 

"That was a question," Derek said angrily, his eyes squinted at his younger brother. "Do you have _any_ idea how many times I paged that nurse about Casey, overnight?" 

Edwin sighed, his expression bored, and his voice monotone as he spoke up. 

"I have _no_ idea," he said, cursing his father for sending him in here to look after the moody teenager. "-I'm sure you'll be compelled to tell me, though." 

"Sixteen times!" Derek cried, his fist pounding against the matress, causing Edwin's half closed eyes to shoot open, and his body gave a tiny jolt of surprise. Derek glanced over quickly, and when Edwin put his chin in his hands again, he looked away, and went on with his rant. 

"Sixteen times, and not once could they tell me anything different," he said, his voice angry. "And do you want to know what I think?" 

"Do you wanna know what _I_ think?" Edwin asked, having put up with enough, by now. Derek's mouth was still hanging open in mid-sentence, and he looked surprised that his brother had actually said something to him. He had mainly been sitting there all day, taking Derek's lectures and rants with closed lips, siolence, and eyes that fell shut every few moments with boredom and fatigue. But now, it was time for him to speak up. 

"I think that you're hiding your feelings," Edwin said, well aware that Derek might kill him for even daring to defy him. "You're upset about the baby, you're upset about Casey, and you're pissed off at yourself. You're blaming yourself for everything that happened, even though you shouldn't, and because you can't deal with that, you're getting mad at things that don't even matter to you."

Derek frowned, completely speechless. 

"That's... that's completely besides the point, I... I..." 

Edwin raised an eyebrow at him, watching as his brother struggled for the words that would perhaps vindicate him, if only slightly, of his brother's accusations. But it appeared that he could find no excuse, and no little white lie to get him out of this one. They both knew that Edwin was right, and that all Derek was feeling was essentially anger, hurt, and regret. And if you didn't know him better, you wouldn't realize that he was covering his real feelings up with ranting and anger in the wrong direction. Because that was what Derek was famous for; hiding his emotions. He had always been a master at it, and although Casey had softened him up a little bit, his soft side was usually only for her, or someone else he really care about, like Marti. 

But right now, he needed someone to talk to, and Edwin was the only one prepared to listen, prepared to help. And all Derek wanted right now was someone who was willing to help him, because they cared. 

"I feel horrible, Edwin," he admitted, the invisible barrier between them crashing down instantly. "Do you have any idea what it's like to know that you _killed _your own child? I mean... it may sound stupid, because I know she was only two or three months pregnant, but a part of me just wishes that baby had lived. As scary as the possibility was to me... I wanted it. I never realized until this happened, but I wanted to be a father to that baby. And now I've gotta go through the rest of my life, wondering what sort of life I could've had... if she hadn't lost the baby." 

Edwin shook his head, sitting up straight. He was no longer annoyed with Derek's ranting, because this was real. What he had been getting on with before had been absolute panic-stricken bullshit, but this was a real conversation, and he was grateful for that. He was willing to do this with Derek. 

"It's not stupid, bro," he assured him, frowning. "I mean... I can't even begin to relate to you. But if I had lost the chance of being a father, or something... I'd be thinking about what could've been." 

Derek was silent for a moment, biting his lip as he played with the loose strands on the end of the sleeves of his hoodie.

"Do you wanna know what scares me the most, aside from Casey never waking up?" he asked, his voice fearful and quiet. "I mean, that's what scares me the most, obviously. Like the doctors have been telling us all day, it's a miracle she made it through the night. But I'm... I'm scared that she's gonna wake up, and hate me for what I did." 

Edwin's eyes flashed with symapthy for the teenager, and he shook his head desperately, not wanting Derek to think that. 

"That's not gonna happen, D," he said, sounding completely confident in his words. "Casey could never hate you. She's going to understand this was an accident." 

"I hope you're right," Derek said, shrugging. "I just keep worrying that I'm either gonna lose her too, or else she'll resent me for causing the accident that lost us the baby."

Before Edwin could answer, the sound of the doorknob turning could be heard, and both boys turned quickly to see one of the nurses from Casey's room stepping in, a nervous smile on her face. Derek understood that she was new to the hospital, for he had overheard the woman telling his father that she had only been working there for a short while, now. The poor woman looked like she was scared to interrupt what was obviously a deep conversation, but she cleared her throat, pushing a strand of blonde hair away from her eyes. 

"Derek Venturi?" she questioned, and he nodded, swallowing hard. "You can go and see Casey now, if you'd like. The doctors said she might be waking up a little. She's made a couple of movements over the past hour or so, and they think she'll wake up within the hour." 

He was up out of bed faster than a bullet could have left a gun. He felt himself wobble unsteadily for a moment, not used to the feeling of being on his feet, and he reached for Edwin's arm to steady him. When he had regained his balance, he looked up at the nurse, nodding. 

"I can walk; I don't need that wheelchair again," he informed her, not wanting to waste time. "I just want to go see that my girlfriend is okay." 

So five minutes later, he found himself at the doorway to Casey's hospital room, breathing in deeply as he fought an inner battle with himself. He knew it would be tough seeing her, bruised up and unconcious. But he loved her, and she was still his girlfriend, no matter what state she was in. He had promised to be here for her through anything, and this was definitely one of the lower times of their relationship. But he was still going to be by her side. 

So he pushed open the door, and peered around the corner anxiously. 

There she was. He took a step into the room, closing the door behind him as he looked fearfully across the room at the practically lifeless girl that was lying in the bed. If one did not know better, they might think that she was merely asleep, for the blood had been cleared away from her delicate skin, leaving it just as beautiful as ever. A faint scratch could be seen here and there, but could have been simply passed over upon a first glance, and observed as merely a trick of the eye. He knew that, beneath her hair and clothes lay deep cuts, reminders that this was real, that she had shed blood, and was in real pain. But as he saw the delicate way her eyes were closed, the soft look of her pale white skin, he thought she looked absolutely beautiful. There was a bandage on her head, but her hair, though dirty, came down around her shoulders. He was happy that she was wearing the head wrap, because he knew that, underneath it lay wounds that he would not be able to face without breaking down. He head been told of the head trauma she had recieved. 

And then his eyes moved past her face, and to her neck, her arms, her body. Her face may have been white, but her body was practically black and blue with bruises. They covered her skin like a delicate blanket, one that betrayed it's owner, revealing all of the pain that must be shooting through every crevice of her body, at the moment. The beeping machines that were attached to her were all, that reminded Derek of where he was, for each beep alerted him to the fact that he was in her hospital room, he was looking over the body of his unconcious girlfriend. 

Derek found himself coming to a rest on her bed, perching himself on the edge. His fingers danced faintly along her once soft and beautiful hands, now sprinkled with cuts and gashes and bruises, reminders that this accident had affected even the tiniest parts of her body. He placed his hand over hers, not pressing too roughly, to avoid putting pressure on any of her cuts. 

His eyes wore a curtain of sadness that only someone who had truly experienced pain could even begin to understand. This could not be his Casey. His Casey was always so full of life, so full of energy and enthusiasm. This seemingly lifeless form on the bed could mean nothing but sorrow, to him. 

"Casey," he choked out, tears welling up in his eyes. "Baby, I am so, so sorry. This is all my fault. I can't believe I did this to you."

No response. A tear escaped his eyes, and he didn't bother to wipe it away as he shook his head at her, his heart aching. 

"You've gotta wake up," he whispered, shaking his head. "You're not in a coma or anything, so I'm sort of hoping that you can hear me, or feel me here."

He paused long enough to cringe at the sight of her still form.

"You're so fucking strong," he whispered hoarsely, shaking his head. "You made it through this, Case. All you gotta do is wake up, and I know that it sounds hard, but... please, try. You've got so much left to live for. Your Mom, and our siblings, and your friends, and us. You mean more to me than anything else ever could. You need to wake up." 

Her hand was stirring in his slightly, and he prayed that his mind was not playing tricks on him. They had told him she might wake up within the hour. He hadn't assumed it would be this soon, but the sooner the better, really. 

He closed his eyes briefly, fighting back the rest of his tears. He had to be strong. 

"You're almost there, Casey," he whispered, shaking horribly. "Come on, just open your eyes. You can do it." 

And slowly but surely, her eyes began to flutter open. He let out a breath that he had not been aware of holding; she was alive, she was okay. They had told him she would wake up. He hadn't anticipated that it would be this quickly, though, not like he was complaining. 

"Casey," he choked out, his voice desperate. "Case, can you... can you hear me?" 

She squinted up at him, and he tried to capture the image of her eyes, and freeze it in his memory forever. Mere hours ago, he had thought that he would never get to see those beautiful eyes looking up at him again. And now that he had the chance to see her eyes, he wasn't going to take advantage of it. 

"D-Derek?" she got out, her voice cracked and weak. "What happened?" 

But he couldn't answer. He fell towards her, his arms instantly reaching out to hug her. He needed to hold her. But no sooner had he wrapped his arms around her, then he felt her smaller hands press against his chest, pushing him away from her forcefully. He first thought that she had merely lost balance, but when he looked up into her beautiful eyes, he saw that she looked like she was confused, angry, and disgusted with him. He felt hurt flicker through him, but he figured she must just be confused, right now. She was awfully weak, after all. 

"Casey," he said softly, giving her the benefit of the doubt as he reached out, touching her cheek gently. "How are you feeling?" 

She scowled, pushing his hand away from her face rapidly. 

"I'd feel alot b-better if you'd... if you'd... stop touching me," she said, her voice weak with fatigue, and disgusted, all at once. "Give it up, Derek." 

Derek felt his heart clench, and he shook his head, absolutely confused by the angry mood she was in all of a sudden. She had just woken up, so there was no way she knew about the baby not making it. Maybe she could remember how the accident had been caused or something, and was angry at him for that. He wouldn't really blame her. But still, there was something more in her eyes- something he didn't quite trust. He didn't want to let her think she was getting to him though, so he merely laughed shakily, trying to act like nothing was wrong. 

"Since when am I not allowed to touch you?" he asked, wanting nothing more than to hug her tightly, then and there. He was so happy to see that she was awake, and alive. But why was she so mad? 

"I'm your boyfriend," he said, shaking his head. "I'm generally allowed to touch you." 

Casey stared at him for a moment, wide-eyed. She blinked a few times, as though trying to process what he had just said to her. He waited anxiously, and a moment later, she shook her head, looking grossed out.

"You're disgusting," she decided, her eyes narrowed as put on that face that let him know she was annoyed. "Boyfriend? Honestly. Where's Max?" 

"Max?" Derek questioned, not understanding quite what she had meant. "You don't have to worry about that sorry excuse for a man anymore. I had a nice talk with him, and it ended in a very rewarding punch in the face." 

Casey squinted at him, and examined his face, shaking her head as the skin between her eyebrows scrunched together. 

"You're face doesn't look damaged," she noted, confused. "Where did he punch you?" 

Something was up. Something was definitely up. He shook his head at her, his eyes squinted in confusion as he gave her a searching look, wondering if she was really okay. 

"Casey, why would you even want Max here?" he asked, deciding to push aside her last question, in favour of moving onto something more important. "The guy's an asshole." 

Casey glared at Derek, an angry flush rising in her cheeks as the meaning of his words sunk in.

"The guy's my boyfriend, Derek," she said, glaring at him. "And you're my annoying stepbrother. Now can you please tell me what the hell happened to me, and what I'm doing here?" 

Derek paled, and he felt his throat close off with panic.

Oh this was definitely not good.

* * *

**So the wakeup scene might seem a bit rushed, but keep in mind that the doctors had told Derek she had been waking up for an hour or so before he even got there, so she was halfway there by the time he got in the room. Review, and I will update. :) Fair trade-off, eh?**


	9. Stress

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter Nine: Stress**

Derek sat there in complete silence for at least twenty seconds straight. He couldn't think of a single word that he could utter to make this all make sense. Because- if Casey didn't love him anymore- then nothing in his world would make sense anymore. He had based the past eight months or so around Casey, and lately, he had been basing his entire future around her as well, even if the decision had been subconcious. He hadn't made a concious effort to include her in his future- wherever it may take him. When he had been thinking about university, which wasn't too often, he'd admit- he would find himself trying to think of where Casey would be going, and whether or not he would be close enough to her to maintain their relationship. Because he wasn't going to let the best thing in his life go because of university. Casey meant more to him than that. 

But right now, he was wondering if her future would even vaguely to include him, and he was getting the distinct feeling that it wouldn't. 

"Casey..." he said slowly, his voice shaking with fear. "What are you talking about, babe? You and Max broke up like.. nine months ago. You're with me now." 

She blinked at him, shaking her head stubbornly.

"You're my stepbrother," she reminded him, and the words were like a slap across the face, to him. "Stop calling me stuff like 'babe', and don't ever refer to me as your girlfriend, please. I prefer to keep the contents of my stomach down. But that was a nice little joke you played, really." 

She did not notice the look of absolute terror on Derek's face as he went completely pale, and began to shake uncontrollably. Instead, she struggled to keep her eyes open as she gave him a searching look, pushing her disgust aside for the moment. 

"Wanna tell me what I'm doing here?" she questioned, and he found it inside of him to somehow summon up an answer to her question, as he stared on in horror. 

"You.. you were in an accident," he said, deciding not to go into detail on that one. "But that's besides the point. Casey, what happened to you? Do you even remember anything that has happened within the past year or so?" 

She frowned, shrugging her shoulders. 

"Sure I do," she offered, sounding casual. "Eleventh grade, the school musical, on and off again at Smelly Nellie's, and of course, getting together with Max. How could I forget?" 

Derek stared at her, wide-eyed, before he hopped up, nearly tripping up in his own feet as he made a dash for the door, already yelling out as he ran towards the hallway desperately, in absolute need of the doctor. 

- - - - 

"Can you tell me your age, Miss?" 

"I'll be seventeen soon," Casey answered proudly. Derek and the doctor frowned, as she got yet another answer wrong. But they tried not to take the blow too harshly as the doctor took a deep breath, and moved onto the next question. 

"Do you know what the date is?" he questioned, sounding curious. "Approximately. Even if you can give me the month and year, it'll be good enough. Just a rough estimate."

Casey frowned, thinking for a moment. She had to think on some of these questions, and Derek could tell that she felt embarassed to be thinking about such trivial matters. He had been sitting on the windowsill, his feet propped up in front of him as he observed the situation with absolute shock. 

"It's like.. March.. 2007?" she questioned, her eyebrows furrowed together for a moment. Derek's eyes fell shut as his heart clenched. She didn't remember a thing. She wouldn't remember the breakup, or falling for Derek at all. She'd never remember that Derek had changed for her, and that he was actually a sweet guy now. It had only been the breakup between her and Max that had helped her to see that. 

The doctor paid this no attention as he jotted this information down on his sheet of paper, sighing. 

"Do you want to know the real date, Casey?" he asked her, as he looked up from his paper. "Because I have to tell you, you're way off." 

Casey frowned, looking puzzled. 

"What do you mean?" she questioned, shaking her head at him slowly. "I'm smart enough to know the date." 

"You may be smart, but you can't outsmart amnesia," he noted sadly, watching as Casey's eyes widened at the word. "You've lost about thirteen months of your memory. That's well over a year. The real date, Casey, is April 23, 2008."

Casey paled, and she looked absolutely sick to her stomach. Derek watched her for a moment, praying that she would remember, but nothing of the sorts happened. She merely shook her head, looking panicked. 

"It.. it can't be 2008," she replied, sounding scared. "I can't have missed out on an entire year of my life. I don't believe you. Are you and Derek in on this sick joke together, or something? Where's my Mom? She'll tell me you're lying. Get her in here. I want my Mom." 

"Casey," Derek tried, getting up, and making his way slowly towards Casey, holding up a cautious hand. "Stop freaking out, please. We're just trying to explain this to you." 

She looked up at him, her eyes murderous as she shook her head, shrinking back against the pillow. 

"You get away from me," she hissed, hatred obvious in her voice. "You're really starting to get on my nerves, with all this kindness crap. It's not who you are. I hate you, and you hate me, so how about you start displaying that relationship a little more accurately?" 

Derek flinched, her words reaching him like a slap across the face. He couldn't even pretend like that hadn't absolutely broke his heart. She hated him. Casey hated him. His _girlfriend_ hated him. As many ways as he reworded this information in his head, it still killed him. 

"I don't hate you, Casey," he whispered, a lump forming in his throat as he turned away from her. "-and the real you didn't hate me, either." 

He heard her give a disbelieving snort. 

"Doubt it," she put in, and he didn't bother to fight her as the doctor interrupted, wanting to get it all out of the way as quickly as possible, so he could leave the teenagers to sort out their own problems. 

"Do you have any bits of memory that don't really feel right, to you?" he questioned, his pen poised on the paper, readt. "Things you can't remember doing or saying, people you can't recall meeting?" 

Casey shook her head instantly, shrugging her shoulders. 

"Nope," she said confidently. "I think you're all delusional. Now, if you don't mind, I'd appreciate it if you'd get my mother in here. She's not gonna freak me out like you two are." 

The doctor shared a silent nod with Derek, and as much as they both wanted to stay, they knew that she was in no mood to be questioned. Derek sighed, pulling himself up off of the windowsill. He gave his girlfriend a tiny, forced smile, nodding. 

"I'll go find her for you," he said, sighing. He had already begun to walk away, when he heard her speak up behind him, her voice determined and cold. 

"Derek?" she questioned, an eyebrow raised. 

He turned around quickly, nodding his head desperately. 

"Yeah?" 

"Do me a favour," she said, and his heart soared at the possibility. 

"Anything you want, Case," he agreed. He would do absolutely anything for her, at this point. 

But the annoyed and cold frown on her lips was not a good sign, and he watched as she shook her head at him, looking determined. 

"When you find my Mom, send her in," she started, her eyes glued to his. "-but don't come back in here with her. I'm sorry, but you're really freaking me out, okay?" 

Yeah, he could pretend like that hadn't hurt. He could also pretend that a bullet to the head would have been more painful than this. But both would be lies, because she had him feeling a pain beyond anything he had ever felt before in his life. 

But he nodded sadly, his eyes fixed on the floor. 

"Whatever makes you happy," he said, his voice below a whisper. 

And without another word, he turned, and made his way out into the hall, his heart shattering into a million little pieces along the way. 

- - - -

"Casey, hon, I know it's scary to face, but what Derek and that doctor told you is actually true," Nora was saying, as she smoothed her daughter's hair away from her face. "You've got thirteen months of memory loss, or around there. They aren't playing a joke on you, or anything. I know it's really tough to deal with, but if you have any questions about anything that happened.. you just ask one of us, and we'll let you know right away. We're all going to be here to help you." 

"Yeah, Case," Lizzie agreed. She had come into the room alongside her mother. Casey hadn't minded, of course. She loved her little sister to death; she'd never have an issue with Lizzie coming to visit. 

"I just don't understand how this accident thing happened," she said, shaking her head with a tiny pout on her lips. "I'm a safe driver. I'd never get into an accident." 

"It wasn't your fault, sweetheart," her mother assured her, a sympathetic look in her eyes. "And the other person.. they.. well, trust me, they didn't mean to hit you. They're beating themselves up over it already." 

"Who was it?" Casey questioned, frowning. "You say that like you know the person." 

Nora and Lizzie shared a look. Now wasn't the time to tell her who had really hit her, the other day. She was already turned against Derek enough as it was. The last thing she needed was to find out that he had been the one who had caused this accident. 

"It's nothing important," her mother lied, shaking her head. "We'll tell you all about the accident when you're a little bit calmer, okay?" 

Derek, who had been standing outside the door, straining to hear every word, half expected Casey to begin arguing with her mother on the topic, for she was never one to give into something like this so easily. But she surprised him by simply nodding her head, and moving on. He squinted through the crack in the doorway, seeing that she looked a little bit tired. 

"Okay," she agreed, sighing. "Mom.. what was Derek talking about earlier? He said me and Max broke up; is that true?" 

Nora and Lizzie shared a bit of a nervous look, and it was obvious that they didn't want to attempt to tell her about her new relationship with her stepbrother. They didn't know the whole story about Max's abusive streak around the end of the relationship, but Derek had always known that they had a clue of what was really going on. The bruises were impossible not to notice, and her depressed state of mind had been even more obvious. But they had never spoken out, possibly because Derek had ended the pain for her before George and Nora had been able to interfere. 

"What did Derek tell you, exactly?" Nora asked, trying her best to be calm and understanding with her daughter. 

Casey frowned, shaking her head. 

"He told me that me and Max broke up nine or ten months ago. And then he told me that he's my new boyfriend." 

Lizzie and Nora looked down at the floor, biting their lips as a blush grew on both of their cheeks. Casey squirmed uncomfortably as she gave them an uneasy look, sounding scared as she spoke up.

"He's.. he's lying though, right?" she questioned, desperately. "I mean.. I'd never do something so.. so stupid.. he's.. I'm.. Mom?" 

Nora wouldn't look her in the eye, and Casey frowned, turning to her younger sister.

"Lizzie?" 

Lizzie managed to handle the question at hand better than her mother had, and she frowned, shaking her head. 

"Sorry, Casey," she offered, one shoulder rising up into a shrug. "Derek's telling the truth. You two have been going out for eight months now."

Casey was pale, and she was staring at her sister as though begging the young girl to tell her she was lying, or that she was kidding. But nothing of the sorts happened, so Casey turned her head towards the window, shaking her head as she struggled to keep the contents of her stomach settled. 

"I can't deal with this right now," she decided, her voice quiet. "I'm going to rest for a little while."

Nora and Lizzie took a hint, and each of them stood up, giving Casey a quick hug, which she returned stiffly, before they exited the room. They closed the door behind them, and saw that Derek had been standing outside the room the whole time. They gave him a sympathetic look, and Nora shook her head, nodding towards the door. 

"You can go talk to her," she said, sounding hopeless. "-but to be honest, I don't think it will do you much good. She doesn't remember you being her boyfriend." 

Derek ignored his stepmother as he pushed himself away from the wall, and placed his hand on the doorknob, pushing it open. He took a step inside the room, and when Casey's eyes flickered over to land on him, he felt his stomach turn with nausea. This wasn't his Casey. This was the Casey that hated him, that thought he was an annoying, stuck up player. His Casey always looked at him with a little spark in her eyes, one that excited him, and yet told him he was loved, all at once. The cold look that Casey's blue eyes were giving him at the moment made him feel nothing short of sadness, and nostalgia for what they had once shared together. 

"Hi," he said nervously, as he pushed the door closed behind him. "How are you doing?" 

She gave an annoyed sigh, turning her head away as she folded her arms across her chest. 

"Go away," she said, her voice disgusted. "If I don't want to deal with my sister and my mother, do you honestly think I want to put up with you? You're the one causing all of my problems, right about now." 

Derek took a seat in the chair next to her bed, his eyes locked with hers as he sighed, his hands laced together in front of him. He was squeezing them together rather roughly, to release some of the nerves shooting through his mind, and his body, all at once. 

"We need to talk," he decided, shaking his head. "There's alot of things you don't know that I think you should."

He had to tell her about Max. He wasn't going to tell her about the rape; not yet. He didn't have the heart to tell her that, after he was unloading all of this horrible information onto her. He might consider telling her later, but he wasn't going to do it right away. He wasn't going to tell her about the baby yet, either. She was going through enough; she didn't need to hear about losing her baby, just yet. But she deserved to know about how Max had treated her, and about why they had broken up in the first place. 

"You broke up with Max for a really good reason, Case," he said slowly, taking in a deep breath. She blew out an impatient breath, turning her head the other way as she kept her arms folded across her chest. She was pretending like she wasn't listening to him, but Derek knew full well that she was probably hanging onto every word he was saying, since she needed answers so badly. 

"He hit you alot," he said quietly, cringing as her eyes turned to meet with his, and her arms unfolded from across her chest, surprised. "He hit you, and he yelled at you. He'd put you down all the time, and he had you absolutely broken, for the longest time. Me and you got together about a month or two after you guys broke up." 

She snorted, shaking her head with disbelief. 

"Even if Max _did_ do any of those things, which I know he never, I _never_ would have sunk to that sort of low," she said, looking amused, yet disgusted. "Dating you? There's no way. So I suggest you stop lying, and leave me alone." 

"But Case-" 

"I said leave me alone!" she yelled, and when she caught sight of the hurt look on his face, she lowered her voice, and shook her head. "-please?" 

He saw the desperation in her eyes, and he knew that she just wanted to be left alone right now. She didn't want to deal with the doctors, she didn't want to deal with her siblings, or their parents. And she most definitely didn't want to deal with Derek. She needed time to accept what was happening to her, and she didn't need anyone throwing more information at her right about now. 

"Alright then," he said, standing up. "I'll leave, but only because you want me to. But I'll have you know, we're going to have this conversation, whether you like it or not. This isn't something I'm willing to let go." 

He made his way towards the door, frowning. 

"I'll be back." 

Without another word, he left her to think over everything that he'd just said to her. 

And when he tried to go and see her later that night, he was informed that he was not allowed in her room, due to a request made by Casey herself. Apparantly, he stressed her out. 

* * *

**So yeah, this is sort of a sad chapter, and Casey is freaking out completely. Keep in mind that, as far as she knows, she hates Derek, and Derek hates her. So of course she's going to treat him as such. Anyway, review and I'll update again. **


	10. A New Life

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter Ten: A New Life**

Derek had not seen Casey for three days, now. Three days. Seventy-two hours. Four thousand, three hundred and twenty minutes. But really, who was counting? Okay, so Derek was. But he had been bored out of his mind during his hospital stay, and without Casey there, he was drove stir-crazy wondering how she was doing, and if she was handling all of this well. He would get daily updates from Edwin on how she was doing, but he hated to admit that he was being rather cold towards the rest of his family. He just felt like they were getting to see Casey, and he wasn't, so it wasn't fair. He knew it wasn't their fault that she wanted to see them instead, but he was still jealous.

But Casey was getting released from hospital today, and then she would have no excuse not to see him. It wasn't like she could ban him from the house. Or at least, he hoped she couldn't. He had been released himself yesterday. He had thought it would be good to go home and be distracted enough to get his mind off of Casey, but it hadn't worked. He had thought about her more than ever with all of her stuff lying around him, like that.

He was waiting in the porch of the hospital for his father to come down with Casey, and her bag. He had offered to come upstairs, but George had pointed out that it might be easier for him and Lizzie to do it, since Derek was the one person Casey didn't want to see. It had taken enough convincing for him to get to go to the hospital with his father and Lizzie, at all. 

He watched as Lizzie helped Casey into the porch, followed by George, who had ahold of Casey's bag, and a tiny white bag with her medication in it, for pain relief. Casey was wearing a pair of her pink flannel pajama pants, and a navy blue school sweater. Her hair was falling carelessly around her shoulders, as she hadn't been able to do much with it, and although she was wearing no makeup, Derek thought she looked beautiful. 

Lizzie was helping her walk, as she had a slight limp, and Derek knew that her skin was covered in bandages, right about now. He hated that all of this was his fault. 

Casey's eyes met with his as she took her first step into the porch, and he saw the disappointment flicker through her eyes as he offered a nervous smile, nodding his head at her hopefully. 

"Hey, Casey," he said, his hands stuffed awkwardly into his pockets. "How are you feeling?" 

She looked like she wanted to tell him off for even attempting to talk to her, but she thought better of it, and fixed her lips into a tight smile, giving him a curt nod. 

"Fine, I guess," she offered, shrugging. "Better than I was the other day."

Derek nodded, having trouble breathing. She had actually talked to him, without yelling. Derek had a feeling that someone had told her to try and act civil towards him, for his sake. But he didn't care. Hearing her talk to him calmly was absolutely amazing. 

"That's good then," he said shakily, relieved. "That's really good."

"Yeah," she said quietly, and Derek rushed to open the front door to the hospital. He stood back to let her through, and she nodded her head, blushing. "Thank you, Derek." 

She passed him, and Derek shared a nervous look with his father, who was watching his son with sympathy. He couldn't imagine what Derek had to be going through, right about now. When everyone had passed through the door, Derek led them all to the car, which was parked as close to the hospital as George could get. He pulled Casey's door open, and allowed her to get in first. Lizzie had gone in the front seat on the way to the hospital, so he assumed she would do the same on the way back. With this in mind, he moved to get into the backseat, but Casey's eyes filled with panic, and she shook her head, holding up a hand to stop him from coming any closer. 

"I want Lizzie to sit by me," she said, sensing the confusion in his eyes. "Please?" 

Her words hurt him. She didn't even want him to sit next to her for a fifteen minute car ride. That was a pretty painful reality to face. But he nodded, swallowing his pride as he went back, and pushed Lizzie a little more roughly than intended towards the backseat. 

"She wants you to sit by her," he said harshly, his voice full of pain. "She actually likes you, apparantly."

"Derek," George said warningly, flashing his son a cautious look. Derek shrugged as he slumped down into the passenger's seat, not even bothering to put on his seatbelt. He tilted his head back as he waited for his father to start the car, but the engine remained off as his father narrowed his eyes at him, shaking his head. 

"Seatbelt."

Derek rolled his eyes, grasping the belt, and pulling it across his chest. 

"Who cares?" he muttered, feeling angry with everything. "What's another crash gonna do to me?" 

Nobody answered him, and he turned his head to look out the window, glaring as they began to move across the parking lot. 

Life as he knew it was officially over.

Derek could sit through family get-togethers, in small doses. But hours on end of sitting with his crazy family eventually got to be annoying. Nora had insisted that everyone stay home on Casey's first night back home, claiming that it was only polite. Derek didn't have a problem with it really, but he definitely had a problem with being told he couldn't leave during the middle of the movie they were watching. It wasn't like he was even paying attention to it. Casey, Lizzie, Marti, and Edwin were on the couch, their eyes glued to the screen. Nora and George had pulled the loveseat up from the basement, and were perched on that. Derek was slumped into his armchair, all by himself. His eyes were glued to Casey for half of the movie. She would laugh at it every now and then, and his heart would clench. She was perfectly happy, and without him. He was half tempted to go get into an accident again, in hopes of getting amnesia. He figured that, if he couldn't remember her, he wouldn't have to put up with this pain. 

"Can I go yet?" he asked, frowning.

Casey looked over at him, frowning. Nobody else seemed to notice that he had even spoken up. His eyes met with hers, and he was slightly fearful that she was going to yell at him. 

"You can do whatever you want," she said, shrugging. "Nobody is stopping you." 

"Pfft," Derek snorted, rolling his eyes. "Tell that to George of the Jungle over there." 

George frowned at his son, only now noticing that the teenager was even talking. He looked like he was about to refuse the request, but he caught sight of the pained expression, and sighed, nodding towards the stairs. 

"Go on, then," he said, shaking his head. "Say goodnight." 

"Yeah, 'night," Derek muttered, getting up and practically running towards his bedroom. 

Five minutes later, he was lying back on his bed, hands behind his head as he stared up at the ceiling. His stereo was playing lightly in the background, the gentle beat of it soothing to him. Sure, some would say rock didn't exactly have much of a soothing ability, but to Derek, anything that could distract him from Casey was soothing. 

There was a knock on his door, and he sighed, grabbing the remote off of his endtable, and muting his music. 

"Come in," he said, annoyed. What part of going upstairs didn't signal that he wanted to be alone? He had thought it was painfully obvious, but he guessed not. 

Any form of a complaint went flying from his mind when he saw Casey peer around the corner, looking uncomfortable. She looked as though she wanted to turn around and run back downstairs, and he had to applaud her for getting up here on her own. She had a sore ankle, not to mention she was weak. He instantly sat up straight, his hand flying to his hair as he ruffled it a bit, figuring it looked a little too neat. 

"Can I help you?" he asked, trying not to sound too eager to talk to her. "And close the door behind you." 

She bit her lip, nodding as she took the final step into his room, and reached behind her to shut the door. She leaned against his wall, frowning as she tried to think of the right words to say. He noticed that she was lifting her injured ankle up off of the floor, and he frowned, moving over on his bed. 

"Come sit down," he said, nodding towards the bed. "You shouldn't be standing up for too long. Your ankle is hurt, and your back is sore, right?"

She looked hesitant, but her need for comfort overpowered her discomfort with Derek, so she nodded, and limped towards his bed, taking a seat about two feet away from him. He sensed that she was still uncomfortable, so he sighed, and stood up, readjusting himself in his computer chair. She looked alot more comforted by this, and he sighed, leaning back slightly. 

"What do you want?" he asked, and realizing that he had come off as rude, he quickly added onto his statement. "Not that I don't want to talk, because I do. But you've been treating me like some sort of sickness for three days now, and the second I choose to leave first, you decide you want to talk. Why?" 

She frowned, glancing down at her feet as her hands clasped together on her knees.

"Edwin told me that... that it was you who caused the accident," she said slowly, blushing. "He said you ran a stop sign, and... and ran into the side of the car I was driving." 

He bowed his head, a sickness settling into his stomach as he figured out why she was here. 

"Oh," was all he said at first, as he processed this. "So... you're here to yell at me, basically. Okay then. Go ahead and tell me what a reckless driver I am. Tell me you hate me for what I did to you, and call me the world's most insensitive jerk. Although I'm sure you'll come up with worse."

He sat there, waiting, prepared, but no such words met his ears. The preparation he had been collecting faded, and he frowned, giving her a confused look. 

"Well?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow. "Aren't you going to yell at me?" 

She shook her head, frowning. 

"Why would I yell at you?" she asked, sounding confused. "It was an accident. As much as we don't... didn't, I guess... get along, I know you wouldn't intentionally do that." 

"Yeah," he said, a little bit relieved. "I didn't, honestly. We were on the phone arguing, and-" 

"I drove while talking on the phone?" she interrupted, shocked. "Are you sure?" 

He gave her a weird look, one eyebrow still raised. Upon realizing she was serious, he chuckled lightly, and nodded his head. 

"Yes, Casey," he said, sighing. "You were talking on a cell while driving. Shocking, I know. I've had an influence over you in the past year or so." 

"So I've heard," she muttered, looking away. She was quiet for a moment, as though contemplating something, and when she looked back to Derek, she looked terrified. 

"They told me I was pregnant," she whispered, squinting at him slightly. He wouldn't look her in the eye, so she went on. "-and they told me it was with your baby." 

Still, no answer left his lips. He stared down at the ground, silent. He was glad someone else had told her, because he definitely hadn't wanted to be the one to do it. He just didn't know how to respond to something like that. 

"Is it true, Derek?" she asked, sounding scared. "Was it yours?" 

Derek nodded his head, not looking up as he tried his best to keep himself composed. 

"Yeah, Case," he said, his voice quiet as he fought back the urge to tell her how horrible Max was, that he had raped her. "It was mine... yours... ours. But you lost the baby, so..." 

"How far along was I?" she asked, leaning back a little on his bed. "lnto the pregnancy, I mean?" 

He shrugged, picking at a folder on the edge of his desk as he struggled to keep himself from looking at her. She was so beautiful, and everytime he looked at her, he was reminded that it was no longer his right to hold her, or kiss her, or tell her he loved her. 

"You were two and a half months along, or something," he said, his voice pained. "That's what the doctor told me, anyway. The other doctor, not the one at the hospital." 

Casey merely nodded as she sighed, staring off towards his wall as she tried to think of something else to say to him. He knew that she must have a thousand questions, right about now, but it was also obvious that she still didn't like him, and that he was really the last person she wanted to be talking to about this. But this was actually something that Derek would be best informed about, and she felt weird talking to her mother about her destroyed pregnancy. 

Something seemed to occur to her as she frowned, and looked up at him, a weird look in her eyes as the realization dawned over her.

"Wait a second," she said slowly, biting her lip. "I was pregnant with your baby. That means me and you... we... you... I... we..." 

"-had sex?" Derek suggested, raising an eyebrow. She blushed as she nodded, and he merely shrugged, nodding his own head. "Yeah, plenty of times." 

She gave a little shudder, and he looked away, hurt. She was disgusted by the idea of having sex with Derek, and she wasn't too careful to hide it, either. It hurt to think that she thought of anything intimate with Derek as gross, or disgusting. Just a few short days ago, she would kiss him without a second thought, because she loved him. And now... well, Derek knew that they were practically over. She hadn't said the words, but it was obvious to him that he no longer qualified as her boyfriend. 

"Was it my... my first time?" she questioned, sounding worried. "Do you know?" 

He nodded, cringing as he remembered the first night that they'd had sex. It had been so perfect, being with the girl he loved more than anything in the world. He knew he'd be lucky if that ever happened again. 

"Yeah, it was," he confirmed, watching as she looked away with disgust. He felt both anger and pain flicker through him, and he winced, looking down. "Guess that's not happening anymore, though." 

Her eyes motioned to find his, and this time, he actually looked her in the eye. He watched as she shook her head, looking sort of embarassed. 

"Derek, we're... we're over," she said, sounding nervous. "Whatever we had... it has to stop now. I don't like you like that, and I... I want to work things out with Max." 

Derek's eyes widened, and his heart skipped a beat. Her final words even distracted him from the pain of being broken up with, that was already coursing through his body unbearably. 

"Please don't do that," he begged her, his voice desperate as he shook his head at her. "Please, Casey. The guy treated you like shit, after awhile. He hit you, and he yelled at you. You lost like... a bunch of weight, because he didn't like you the way you were. You weren't allowed to talk to guys; it was horrible. I don't want to see you go through that again." 

Casey's embarassment was instantly replaced with anger, and he knew then that he had definitely said the wrong thing. Something he had just said had struck a nerve, and he knew that she was not pleased with him right now. Her eyes flashed with an angry passion as she sat up straighter, alert. 

"Just because I'm ending whatever delusional relationship we apparantly had, which I can assure you would not have happened if I had been in any right mind, does _not _mean you have the right to stop me from going out with Max. I'm going to call him tomorrow, and talk to him. With any luck, he'll still feel the same way, and I can get back with the guy that I'm _supposed _to be with. I don't know why the hell I went so far off track and got with you, anyway. So I would appreciate it if you'd stop making up bullshit about the guy I want to be with, because your lies aren't going to work on me." 

Derek paled as he watched her freaking out at him. How had things gotten this bad? Every word she spoke was like a bullet to the heart. Fear was pulsing through his veins uncontrollably; Casey couldn't get back with Max. He'd already gone through a whole phase of protecting her from that asshole's abuse. And although he knew that he'd do it again in a heartbeat, if needed, he didn't want to watch her go through that again. 

"Please, Case," he said, shaking his head. "I know you think I'm a creep, and a liar, but I need you to believe me on this. Max abused you. I was there, I know exactly what he did. You've got to believe me on this."

She glared at him, and the hatred in her eyes broke his heart. He tried to push this away from his mind as he leaned forwards, desperation in his eyes. 

"Give us a try," he said, using his last ditch attempt at getting her back, and keeping her safe. "You fell for me before; you can again. Please. I promise you that you're not going to regret it. I promise I'll be good to you. It'll take a little bit of work, but-"

"Who are you kidding?" 

He frowned, falling silent as he saw her shaking her head at him with disgust. 

"Me and you are _over, _Derek," she repeated, her voice a harsh reminder of everything he was losing. "Whatever sad excuse for a relationship we had is gone. And whatever feelings you have for me, you need to get rid of, because they won't be doing either of us any good." 

Derek looked towards the floor, squeezing his hands tightly together to try and take his mind away from some of his emotional pain. 

"I wish it were that easy, Case," he whispered, but he could tell she hadn't heard him. He spoke up, raising his gaze to meet hers. "I love you, Casey."

She caught sight of the tears in his eyes, and her breathing hitched. Whatever mean comment had been bubbling to the top of her mind, begging to escape, was instantly forgotten, and she could not find the heart to say it to the absolutely miserable guy in front of her. She really hadn't expected him to say that. She had known that Derek obviously felt strongly about her, but Derek had never loved anyone before, that she knew of. Did he really feel that way? She knew that, if he did, she'd have to let him down a bit more softly. She softened considerably, and she shook her head, biting her lip. 

"Please, for both of our sakes, move on," she said, standing up, knowing that she had to get out of there as fast as possible. "Find another girl, and get over me. I don't want you to love me, Derek. I love Max." 

Derek's eyes squeezed shut, and he felt his body shake with the pain of it all. He blinked back his tears, trying his hardest not to let those words affect him. It wasn't working. 

"Oh God," he muttered, opening his eyes to see her staring at him with guilt. "Casey, tell me you feel nothing for me. Look me in the eye and tell me that you feel absolutely nothing for me." 

He was hoping that she would not be able to say it. He was praying that some sort of realization would occur to her, and that she would realize that she really did feel something for him.

But her eyes were cold and blue, and her face remained void of any emotion except for sympathy as she shook her head, backing up towards his door. 

"I feel nothing for you," she confirmed, her voice guilty. "I'm sorry." 

And without another word, she turned and got out of his room as quickly as possible, only half aware of the fact that she had just broken his heart.

* * *

**Review, and I will update. **


	11. Worthless

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter Eleven: Worthless**

It took a week for Derek and Casey to both be well enough to return to school. Truth be told, Derek was ready a few days before Casey was, but George and Nora had given him the extra two or three days off. They knew that he was going through a tough time right now, what with losing his baby, and his girlfriend, all in one week. Things hadn't gotten better between him and Casey at all. She avoided him like the plague, and he had overheard her telling Emily that she was going to try to get back together with Max. Even Emily had been apprehensive, sensing what Max had done in the past. And no matter how many people confirmed to her that she was with Derek now, she wouldn't give him a chance. She had taken down the pictures of them in her bedroom, and he had woken up one morning to a crate sitting outside his bedroom door with a bunch of his stuff in it. It was things that he had given her, lent to her, or left in her room by mistake. He had seen her pass by as he bent down to retrieve the crate, but she had merely fixed him with a determined look, and kept on going. He hadn't left his room that day.

"Are you sure you're ready to go back?" Derek asked Casey, as they walked towards the front doors of their school together. "If you want, we could ask Dad and Nora for another few days off. I mean, I'm sure they wouldn't mind, they-"

"Derek, it's fine."

He glanced over at her, frowning slightly. She must have caught onto what he was trying to do. As much as he really was concerned about her health, and he wanted her to be ready to go back, he didn't want her to return to school because he knew that, by doing so, she'd be able to have that all too important talk with Max. And it would kill Derek to see those two together again.

"I'm just checking," he said, shrugging. He pulled open the door for her, and allowed her to go on ahead of him. He knew that she found it awkward when he did kind things like this for her, because the Derek she knew would never do anything nice for her. But it was habit to him, by now. Being nice to her just came naturally, after spending eight months as her boyfriend. She had him whipped into shape. But now, she didn't even want him, so what was he supposed to do?

"Do you need help finding your locker?" he asked, frowning slightly. She looked like he was about to refuse, so he rushed on. "I mean, you got a new one this year, and you're not going to know where it is or anything, let alone your combination."

She raised an eyebrow, following along next to him as he weaved his way through the crowds of people that were staring at them, well aware of what had happened, the week before. He tried his best to ignore them as he listened to what Casey was saying. He heard the ring overheard, and he walked a little bit faster to get to their destination as other kids began to speed up around him to get to their first period classes.

"You know my locker combination?" she questioned, sounding freaked out by this. "Um, why?"

He came to a stop in front of a locker, and sighed as he nodded towards it.

"I know your combination 'cause we share a locker, Princess," he said, giving her a forced grin. "Get used to it."

Casey stared at him for a moment, before groaning, allowing her head to fall back against the lockers roughly.

"This nightmare never ends," she murmered, purposely hitting her head off the locker again. Derek frowned as he swung the locker open, and he reached out to stop her from hitting her head again. She gave him a funny look as he pulled her away from the lockers, and he scowled, shrugging.

"What, one dose of amnesia isn't enough for you?" he questioned, and she sighed, before looking into the locker. Her eyes widened slightly, and she stared on in surprise.

"It's clean," she noted, shaking her head. "Why is it clean? I mean, you're the messiest person I know."

Derek shrugged as he swung his bookbag into the locker, and grabbed his history textbook off of the top shelf, handing her her own copy of the book.

"You clean it twice a week," he offered, not really paying attention. "History class. Come on. We're running late."

She still didn't move, so he rolled his eyes and grabbed ahold of her wrist, only giving her enough time to shut the locker behind her.

-SPACE-

Derek was in the office during their fifteen minute break, that morning. He was sorting through a pile of old memos on the counter, trying to find a copy of a notice about the hockey training session that Sam had mentioned to him, when he heard a familiar voice speak up from the other side of the room.

"But I _know_ the material!"

Derek glanced over his shoulder to see Casey entering the room, looking panicky as she struggled to hold onto her books, and argue with the vice-principal all at once. He frowned, studying the situation in front of him carefully.

"I know you know the material, Casey," Mr. Lassiter confirmed, nodding. "But we're just concerned about whether you know it well enough to continue with your senior year courses. Your doctors forwarded files saying you lost thirteen months of memory. That's the whole school year, and half of last year. We're not confident on whether or not you're going to remember the more complicated material. We're talking about your future here, Casey."

"No!" she begged, as Derek turned away, keeping his ears tuned into the conversation. "You're talking about putting me a year behind all my friends. I can catch up, I know I can. I'll work extra hard, and study every single night. Just please don't place me back a year; I'm begging you. This is my senior year! I want to graduate along with my friends."

"We're just not sure it's logical, Miss McDonald."

Derek turned in time to see that Casey was on the verge of tears, and he felt his protective side emerging again. He knew how important her future and her education was to her, and he knew how proud she was of her academic accomplishments. Nobody got to make her upset over something she should be proud about. Derek made sure of that.

And before he knew what he was doing, he had tossed the handful of papers down, and took a step towards Mr. Lassiter, frowning.

"That's enough," he said, his voice determined. "Leave her alone. If she says she can handle the coursework, she can handle the damn stuff. I know Case. She's smart, and she's dedicated to her education. Ask any of her teachers, and they'll tell you that putting her back a year is a huge mistake. She already knew how to do half of this stuff last year. And if there's anything she doesn't know, I'll help her."

Mr. Lassiter raised an eyebrow, looking amused.

"Might I remind you, Mr. Venturi, that your grades are a bit on the slippery side?" he reminded Derek, earning himself an amused scowl. "You're borderline passing."

"Actually, no I'm not," Derek argued, shaking his head. "My grades have gone up since last year, if you hadn't noticed. I've been getting B's, and stuff. I may not be an honour roll student, but I can help Casey get caught up, and she can fill in the gaps herself. She's a smart girl."

Casey was shooting him a grateful look, her eyes surprised. He knew that she was shocked about who was sticking up for her, but she had to get used to the fact that this was who he had become, this was who he had changed into over the past year that had been erased from her mind. He couldn't change back so easily.

"The least you can do is let her prove that she knows her stuff," Derek said, folding his arms across his chest as he shrugged. "If it gets to be too hard, put her back. But if she's saying she can handle it, you have no right to make her repeat what she's already done. Give her a damn shot at it, at least. I'll help her out as much as I can, and I can assure you that she's going to be this school's top notch student, just like she has been since she got here."

He stopped to catch his breath, and when he looked around, he saw that the secretary, and the few teachers that had been standing around, were all looking at him with surprise, coffee cups raised to their half-gaping mouthes. He frowned, realizing how loudly he had been yelling, and he shrugged his shoulders carelessly.

"Just sayin'," he said, and without another word, he stormed out of the office, his hockey notice clutched tightly in his right hand. He hadn't even been aware of finding it, really. All he knew was that, when someone threatened something important to Casey, he stood up for her, whether he was her boyfriend or not.

He was so busy thinking about what had just happened in the office that he barely noticed Sam coming towards him. His eyes were fixed on the floor as he bumped right into his best friend, and stumbled backwards a little. Sam reached out and caught him, pulling him back up, before giving him a curt little nod of the head, and falling into place beside him, his hands in his own pockets.

"How you doin'?" Sam asked, knowing that his best friend was having a rough morning. "I haven't seen you since first period. You look like you aged ten years with stress, since then. What's wrong?"

"Nothing, actually," Derek admitted, sighing. "I'm feeling alot better today then I have been all week. I don't know why, I think I'm just moving past it a little bit."

"Really?" Sam asked, one eyebrow raised.

Derek shook his head, his shoulders slouched over in defeat.

"Not really," he admitted sadly, "-but I'm trying."

Sam nodded understandably, nodding his head at a friend as they passed by the hockey team. Derek didn't even raise his head to acknowledge them as Sam moved onto his next question.

"How's Casey doing?"

Derek shrugged, adjusting the collar of his leather jacket, ignoring the few girls who stared at him, their eyes full of desire and lust.

"She's doing just fine," he said, knowing it was true. "She's having a couple of problems because of this whole amnesia thing... but at least she doesn't have to go through what I'm going through right about now. But whatever, it's my fault anyway. I'm the one who caused the accident in the first place. I shouldn't be complaining."

"Dude, lay off yourself," Sam said, shaking his head at his friend. "We both know you never intentionally hurt anyone, especially Casey. You'd never hurt her purposely. And I'm sure Casey will come around, man. She fell for you once, maybe she will again."

Derek shook his head as they reached his locker, and he leaned up against it, letting his head fall back aimlessly.

"I don't think so, dude," he said sadly, completely frustrated. "She only fell for me because I protected her from Max. And if Max avoids following the same path again, there's no way in hell she's going to stop liking him. It was like I only had one chance, and that one chance is gone."

"But if she really loves you, I'm sure it'll happen anyway," he said, shrugging. "You guys... your relationship was based on more than that one chance. It was bound to happen anyways. And if she really loved you for you, she'll fall for you again. Don't even worry about it."

Derek snorted, folding his arms across his chest again.

"Too late for that one."

Sam changed the subject then, and they talked for another five minutes before Sam claimed that he had go go and get something from the cafeteria before break was over. He left Derek standing at his locker, and he opened it up, in search of his math books. His eyes fell on a picture of him and Casey that they'd put up months before, and his heart clenched again. God, would these constant reminders of his and Casey's past stop popping up everywhere? He went to rip the picture off the locker, but he paused as his hand grasped it, and he drew back, shaking his head. He was going to leave it there. Casey needed as many reminders of their past as she could get. And subtle little hints wouldn't do any harm, right?

He sighed, and as he reached for his math book, he heard a commotion down the hall.

"How are you feeling, Case?"

He turned his head, watching as a group of students, some of them their mutual friends, crowded around her, backing her into a nearby wall. He squinted, and saw that she looked overwhelmed, and slightly scared.

"ls it true you've got amnesia?"

"When did you get out of hospital?"

"Are you still with Derek?"

"Derek?"

The last voice came from Derek's own right, and he turned to see a short blonde girl standing next to him, smiling up at him flirtatiously. She had her hands clasped in front of her as she held her books to her chest, and he squinted, raising an eyebrow.

"Uh, yeah?" he questioned, his mind focused on Casey.

"Is it true you and your girlfriend broke up?" she questioned in a high pitched voice. By the sound of her voice, she knew full well that they had. Derek recognized this girl as one of Casey's fellow cheerleaders, and he inwardly groaned. Cheerleaders were always after him; he knew exactly what this girl wanted.

"Sort of," he admitted, shrugging. "Why?"

"Well, I was wondering if you'd want to go out with me sometime?" she questioned, blushing a little. "This weekend, maybe?"

Derek stared at her, blinking. She had to be crazy. Anyone who looked into his eyes deeply enough could tell he was absolutely taken, no doubt about it. His gaze darted over to where Casey was trying her best to escape from the little circle of questions, and he tensed, feeling angry. Would they just leave her alone? They were making her uncomfortable, that much was obvious.

"Derek?" the girl said again, and only then did he realize that he hadn't answered her. She looked incredibly nervous, and he realized now that he felt nothing for this girl. He felt nothing but physical attraction for any other girl, really. Casey had changed him. Before her, he had gone out with anything in a skirt. But now, he knew that there was more to a relationship than physical appearance and sexual chemistry.

And he knew he couldn't go out with this girl. So he shook his head, his eyes apologetic.

"I'm sorry, but not right now," he said, hoping that she wouldn't take it too personally. "I'm not ready for anything like that right now. I just came out of a serious relationship, and... maybe another time, we could..."

"I understand," she said, and without another word, she had darted off down the hall, a deep shade of red, her books clutched to her chest tightly. Derek sighed, knowing he had just embarassed the poor girl to no end, but he couldn't be bothered with it as he heard the next annoying question that was aimed towards Casey.

"Is it true that you were going to have his baby, or something?"

Derek turned around quickly, his eyes already flashing with anger as he caught sight of the guy who had dared to ask her such a question. He wasn't aware that anyone had even known about the pregnancy, but it wasn't really a huge town, and he knew that word got around quickly, especially in their school. He slammed his locker shut agressively, his eyes narrowed as he stormed towards the group of teenagers who were currently crowding Casey into the nearest wall. Her eyes were filled with fear, and he knew that all of this attention was freaking her out. He pushed through the crowds of people, and however much resentment she felt towards Derek, her eyes were relieved as she spotted her stepbrother shoving past everyone else to get to her.

He clamped his hand down on her wrist, his eyes narrowing at the group of people.

"Anyone else got something to say to Casey?" he asked angrily, his voice cold. "Because I really don't think what happened is anybody's business."

They all blushed, looking downwards, and Derek's eyes found the guy who had asked her about the baby. He glared, shaking his head in disgust.

"And what happened with _our_ baby is _especially_ not something you have any right to be asking about."

The guy turned a deep shade of red, and shrugged his shoulders as though Derek's anger didn't bother him, even if they both knew that it did.

"I suggest you all stop bugging her about it, or there will be hell to pay, do you hear me?" he questioned, his voice harsh. "And if I hear about any of you starting rumors about any of this, I _won't_ be happy. Now get lost."

A few scattered away, but a few bolder ones stayed there, their hands stuffed awkwardly into their pockets as they contemplated whether or not to stay or go. Derek looked at them carefully, before shaking his head with disgust, and clutching Casey's wrist tighter.

"Come on," he said to her, and before she could protest, he was dragging her down the hallway. He was surprised that she didn't haul her wrist out of his grasp, but he knew that it was mostly because she was relieved that someone had come along and stood up for her.

Derek was just going to take her to their third period class, which they shared together, when he noticed that everyone was still staring at the pair of them. Gentle whisper of rumors and lies met his ears, and the truth seemed to mix with the rumors in some sort of intricate spiral as he let out a groan of frustration, and hauled open the door of the nearest utility closet. Without a word, he pulled Casey into it, and slammed the door, hearing the faint click of the door locking from the inside as he sighed, leaning back against the wall. There was only one shelf in this closest, fitted against the back wall. It held alot of the janitor's cleaning supplies. The space in which Derek and Casey stood was empty, and held only enough room for Derek and Casey to squeeze in. They were both completely silent for a moment, until Casey spoke up, her voice timid.

"Derek, you... you've still got ahold of my wrist," she reminded him softly, and he looked down, his eyebrows scrunched together. Realizing that she was right, he blushed, and released her wrist from his grasp, shaking his head.

"Sorry," he said, before looking into her eyes, his gaze softening immediately. "Are you okay? They had no right to be asking you all of that personal stuff."

Casey shrugged, a sad laugh escaping her lips.

"It's high school, Derek," she reminded him, her voice lingering with confusion, and absolute sorrow. "People thrive off of rumors and gossip around here. I've got to accept that, I guess. Nothing is personal, when you're a teenager. Our business is everyone else's business."

Derek snorted, looking away.

"Yeah, we get alot of that," he said, nodding his head as he remembered how much people had gawked at him and Casey, when they had first gone public. It hadn't been with disgust, or scorn, for the most part. It had just been a shock that Derek Venturi was dating his sworn enemy, and grade-grubbing stepsister, Casey McDonald. They had been the school's newest couple, and the most interesting one, at that. And that was an oppurtunity that the students just hadn't been willing to pass up. They had watched the couple's every move for awhile, waiting to see how long it would be before Casey would freak on Derek for doing something stupid, or Derek would play her like he did with every other girl.

But it hadn't happened, and everyone had finally faced the truth, and moved on, accepting them.

"Did we put up with alot of shit from people?" Casey asked suddenly, real curiousity in her voice. When Derek looked up, confused, she blushed and rushed on. "When we got together, I mean. Were people okay with it, or did they get weirded out by it?"

Derek squinted at her, wishing with all of his heart that she could remember all of this for herself- that he didn't have to answer all of these questions about their past. These were things she should already know. But he knew that she didn't, and that he was obliged to answer her.

"People were okay with it, mostly," he offered, shrugging. "There was the odd person who gave us bullshit about it, but we ignored them. We didn't really care what other people thought about us."

Casey bit her lip, looking down at the floor hesitantly. It was obvious she was thinking hard, and a moment later, she spoke up, her voice quiet and reserved.

"I can't see myself not caring," she admitted, with a one shouldered shrug. "I can't even see _you_ not caring. Your rep means everything to you."

Derek shook his head, his eyes darkening as he lifted his gaze to meet hers, his eyes begging.

"_You_ mean everything to me, not my rep," he informed her truthfully, watching as she frowned. "-and believe it or not, you really didn't care either. You... you loved me enough to face the consequences, no matter what. I told you that you'd always have me, even if everyone turned against us, and you... you were okay with just having me, I guess."

Casey was frowning, and it was obvious that she didn't believe him in the slightest.

"I dunno, Derek," she said, shaking her head. "I'm not trying to call you a liar, but this is all really hard to take in, and-"

"If I'm lying, why is the whole school absolutely shocked by our breakup?" he asked knowingly, and when she fell silent once more, he gave her a triumphant grin, nodding. "Exactly."

She looked up into his eyes, frowning slightly. It was obvious that something was on her mind, and when he remained silent, she voiced whatever concerns she was currently having.

"If you're so mad at me over this, then why did you just do that?" she asked, shaking her head. "Why did you stick up for me in fornt of all of those people if I'm being so horrible to you?"

Derek was surprised that she would even have to ask such a question. Casey was a smart girl, she should be able to figure out almost anything, no less this. He would have thought that the answer was obvious in his every word, in his eyes, and his every action.

But apparantly, he needed to remind her of his motives.

"I did it because I love you, Casey," he said, and he watched as she cringed, tilting her head to the side again. Annoyed, he reached out and gripped her chin, locking his gaze so that his eyes stared right into her crystal blue ones, searching and demanding all at once.

"Look at me when I'm talking," he demanded roughly, his eyes narrowed. Her eyes flickered with fear, and he watched as she bit her lip, a little scared. He shifted backwards a bit, dropping his hand away from her chin, his fingers brushing against her shoulder as he moved to bring his hand back to scratch his own neck, sighing.

"Everything I'm doing right now is for you," he assured her, knowing that she was doubtful of this. "I love you, and I'm only doing all of this to protect you. I don't want anyone harassing you about what happened. You've already got enough stress in your life, right now."

He didn't expect to make any progress with her, with these words. He didn't expect her to suddenly remember everything and fall against his chest as she begged him to forgive her. He didn;t expect anything short of a polite nod, or a quick word of thanks.

But he certainly didn't expect her to get angry with him. But as Casey's beautiful eyes, the ones that had once held so much love for the man in front of her, now filled with anger and annoyance, he felt worry flicker through him, pulsing as he realized she was mad at him. She shook her head, her hair falling across her eyes gently. She flicked her head lightly to get rid of it, before glaring at Derek menacingly.

"I don't _want _you to do anything because you love me," she got out, her voice angry. "I don't even want you to love me, but you can't seem to get that through your head. I tried breaking it to you gently, but you just aren't getting the message, so let's get one thing clear here."

He gulped, waiting for the words that he knew would break his heart.

"Me and you," she started, with a quick motion between the two of them, "-are over. I hate being mean to you, but I _don't _love you, I don't want to be with you. Hell, I barely even like you. Maybe some stuff changed over the past thirteen months, but I just remember you as the obnoxious stepbrother who used to put my cellphone in mayo, or chase away my dates one by one. And really, I think that's all I'm going to see you as. So, I'm really sorry Derek, but you're going to have to get that through your head."

Derek's mind was spinning, and he found himself relieved that he had mentally prepared himself for the pain. It didn't fade away completely, but it eased it a tiny bit, knowing that it was coming. And suddenly, he was struck with the urge to retaliate against Casey. If she was going to be cruel to him, he could be just as cruel back.

"Fine," he spat out, trying his best to sound just as mean as she had. "-go back to your precious Max. But in the meantime, why don't you check out his record? It's filled with all of his great qualities. You know, accusations of abuse, harassment, and rape. I can just feel the love in that relationship. So if you want to be with a guy that's going to use you as target practice, be my fucking guest. Don't say I didn't try and warn you. Don't say I didn't try to protect you from him. And whatever you do, don't come crying to me when he breaks your heart, because I'll have no sympathy for you. You broke my heart without a care in the God damn world, so I could care less if Max does the same to you."

Half of what he was saying was bullshit, of course. If Casey were to come crying to him, he wouldn't be able to turn her away. He'd do anything to stop her tears, and to put a smile on her face, but if she didn't believe these qualities exsisted in his character anymore, who was he to try and play them out?

"You're on your own, McDonald," he said quietly, his eyes narrowed- not with anger, but with pain, and absolute regret for everything that he had done. For causing this whole scenario to play out. For saying these cruel things to her.

For falling so badly for her. But of course, that couldn't be the regret reflected in his eyes, because even under this light- even when his love for her was unrequited, he didn't regret loving her. He would never, ever regret loving Casey. He knew he'd regret letting her go, but it was seeming like the only possible option right now.

So, without another word, he stormed out of the utility closet, slamming the door behind him, leaving a very speechless Casey behind him.

He had hoped she'd care. He had hoped that some of the things he had said might have installed some fear or realization into her about the kind of guy Max was. He was well aware that he'd mentioned rape in the list of Max's crimes, during his little spiel, forgetting that he had chosen not to tell her. But she hadn't questioned it, and he knew it was because she didn't believe it. He knew that she thought he was lying to her. But he had still held onto that tiny hope that maybe, somehow, she had believed a little bit of what he was saying.

But judging by the new rumor circulating the school, about how Casey was officially back together with her ex-boyfriend Max, he guessed that his words were worthless to her, now.

* * *

**So on that bright note, I am going on vacation for a few days. I will only be gone for a few days, and I might or might not get a chance to write, during that time, as I will probably have my laptop with me. Chances are, I won't have internet, so don't expect an update for a few days. Sorry!! And don't worry about Derek "giving up" on Casey. You all know that he has a tendency of overreacting, and that he won't actually give up without a fight. Some of you messaged me asked about whether or not this will have a happy ending, and in response to that; if I told you, it would just ruin it, right? Review, and I will update as soon as possible. Reviews motivate me! Also, the weird little dashes I use to seperate different parts of chapters are apparantly not working anymore, so I am just spacing them more than usual until I find something that works. Actually, it reads -space- and I absolutely hate writing stuff like that in there, but it's too confusing, and I actually tried everything I could think of. Sorry.**


	12. Monster

**Sorry for how late this chapter was, but as I said, I was on vacation, and then I was having very severe writer's block. It was like taking a few days away from writing this sort of blocked me out for awhile. But it's finally done, so here we go. And as for the seperation of different parts of the chapter, I'm now just going to use " - Into the Night- " as a seperation barrier, since the - doesn't work anymore. It's annoying, and I apologize. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. **

**Chapter Twelve: Monster**

Derek was pretty sure that this was the hardest day of school he had ever gone through, and that included every single time he'd failed one of his big tests. The rumors that were floating around the school were absolutely ridiculous, and he chose to ignore half of them. But what hurt more was knowing that there were two pieces of information floating around that were entirely true, and he knew that he could do nothing to change that. The word that him and Casey had broken up had been floating around since before first period that morning, and by lunchtime, he was dealing with the circulating information about how Casey had been seen walking down the hall before fourth period, holding Max's hand. He hadn't seen them together yet, and he wasn't too sure he wanted to. He knew that one of two things would happen; he either would not be able to handle it, and would completely freak on Max, or he'd hold all his anger in until it reached a boiling point... and then Max would get it twenty times worse.

He wasn't sure which sounded more tempting to him, but as long as he got to beat Max up, he was perfectly content with his choices.

He first spotted them together around the end of lunch, when he was coming out of the cafeteria. They were standing fairly close by, near one of Max's classrooms. Derek drew back a little bit, watching as Max leaned up against the locker, grinning as Casey laced her fingers through his, squeezing his hand.

"-so happy that you want to give us another chance," he heard Casey saying, her smile a mile wide. "I don't even understand why we broke up. I was absolutely shocked when people started telling me I wasn't with you anymore. I didn't believe them, until I came here today and everybody started telling me it was true."

Max shrugged, and Derek knew how much the asshole was going to use her amnesia to his advantage. He had stopped treating her nicely a long time before they had broken up. But suddenly, he was the old Max again, perfectly sweet and content with her. Derek hated this. If Casey was still his, he'd be treating her like she deserved to be treated; with real care, real affection, and of course, real love. Max was just using her, because he recognized her as someone, or something, that he could use to his advantage. By getting back with Casey, he could get his revenge on Derek, convince Casey that he had done nothing wrong, and would therefore be cleared of his charges. After all, if Casey couldn't remember anything wrong happening, there was no evidence. Derek had tried to find the note that Casey had kept, from Max, but he figured that she must have put it somewhere safe. He had spent the whole night before she came home trying to find it, but it was no use. She had it hidden away somewhere safe, and that meant Derek wasn't going to find it. His only hope of having Max punished for his crimes was if Casey's memory came back, and Derek wasn't too sure whether or not that would happen.

"The breakup wasn't your fault," Max assured her, his voice soft, and Derek rolled his eyes; leave it to Max to make himself out to be the noble one in this situation. He must have realized that Casey liked it when a man could take responsibility for his own actions. And that was exactly what the jerk was pretending to do.

"It was completely my fault," he went on, and Derek wanted to go up and hit him. The false sweetness was giving him a migraine. "I wasn't treating you the way you deserve to be treated."

Derek watched as the confusion flickered across her face, and even Derek's own eyes widened slightly at the guy's words. Could Max really be admitting to what he had done? Derek really couldn't see that happening, but for one, split, heartbeat second, he thought that maybe that was what Max was really doing. But he should have known better; he should have known that Max always had been, and always would be, a complete idiot. And of course, that meant that he was going to take advantage of Casey's condition, totally and completely.

"What do you mean?" Casey asked, frowning slightly as her face paled. "Because Derek said-"

"Don't listen to anything Derek says," Max said, shaking his head quickly. "You know just as well as I do that he's just bitter because you broke up with him. He's trying anything and everything to get you back. lt's pretty pathetic that he thinks it's okay to make up lies to keep us from getting back together. We only broke up because of me, but it wasn't because of anything too bad. I could've treated you better; I started blowing you off alot around the beginning of football season, and I didn't give you the attention you deserved. I lost track of what was important to me, and I'm sorry. You're what's important; you're what I want. I want to make things right with you again. I hope I can do that."

Casey smiled, and Derek watched, heartbroken, as she wrapped her arms around his neck, nodding with a gentle smile touching the corners of her lips. Max placed his hands on her hips, trying not to smirk as he pulled her closer, their chests aligned perfectly.

"I'd love that," Casey said quietly, her eyes looking right into his. "Derek was going on with some bullshit about you abusing me. I didn't want to believe him, because that's so unlike you. You've never laid a finger on me in all the time we've been together, and for him to say that to me... it was just so out of the blue and... God, it's just like Derek to lie to get his own way. I hate it when he does stuff like this."

"Forget about Derek," Max said, shaking his head. "He's just jealous. You know just as well as I do that I'd never hurt you, right? You know that he's lying?"

Casey nodded, sighing.

"I know," she said, and Derek felt anger and hurt surge through him, blended together so much that he could not comprehend which emotion was dominant. "I don't hate him or anything, really. But I don't like him, either. He's just my stepbrother. He's telling me we dated, and however true that is, I feel nothing like that for him now. I still can't believe I ever did."

"You did; I'll admit that," Max said, as though he were the honest one here. "But that's all over now, right? It's just in the past? You really don't feel anything for him?"

Casey managed to smile a little, though even Derek could sense the sympathy she was feeling for her stepbrother, right about now.

"I don't like him like that; not at all," she said, and Derek turned away, scowling. He knew what would happen next. Max would kiss Casey, Casey would kiss him back, and they'd live happily ever after, leaving Derek all alone, dealing with the aftermath of his own mistakes, and his own heartbreak. He wasn't sure which issue he was more concerned about; the idea that he no longer had Casey, which absolutely terrified him, or the worry of not knowing whether or not Max would turn abusive again. A small part of him knew that, if he did, Casey would realize Derek was right all along, but it wouldn't make her love him. But whatever happened, he wanted her to be safe, and he wanted her to be happy. And something told him that this happiness and security that Max was showering her with- was not going to last long. And he knew that Casey probably wouldn't come to him with anything like this, if Max were to pick up where he left off, and start hitting her again.

"-but Derek said that-"

"What have I told you?" Max questioned, shaking his head. "Whatever Derek says is complete bullshit. You slept with me before you ever went that far with him."

"But he said my first time was with-"

"It was with me," Max said, shaking his head. "He probably thinks that- by telling you he was your first- you'll want to go back to him, because it's special, or some crap like that."

Casey frowned a little, shifting uncomfortably.

"Well... it is," she said, shrugging one shoulder as though she was unsure of what Max would say to that. "I mean, I don't mean to sound old-fashioned, but-"

"Just trust me on this, Casey," he said, taking both of her hands gently in his. "It was with me. You know that I love you. You're with the right guy now. I forgive you for whatever you've done with him; we were broken up back then, but you're back where you belong now- with me."

Max placed his arm around her shoulder, and the sheer look of it was enough to know that this wasn't natural- this wasn't where she belonged. Derek forced himself to turn away, feeling sick to his stomach. How could Max make him out to be such a liar? Then again, what was he talking about; this was Max! Of course he was going to turn Derek into the liar, and because Casey had always seen Derek as the 'Lord of the Lies', she would believe that jerk over him. And if Casey thought that she had already had sex with Max before, she might see it as an obligation, or...

He nearly got sick at the idea of Casey willingly having sex with Max, just because she thought it was what she was supposed to do. Surely, she would figure that if she had done it with him before, she would have no reason not to give him what he wanted now, as well. But what she didn't understand was that she had only had sex with Max once- and that was only to the extent of the rape. But she'd never believe him, and he had no idea how to stop this absolute nightmare that was currently his life.

He turned around quickly, and before he even knew what was happening, he found himself face to face with Emily. She bumped right into his chest, and drew back, shaking her head. The old, fanatic Emily would've blushed a deep shade of scarlet and hurried off in the other direction as quickly as possible. But Emily had gotten over her little crush on Derek a long time ago, and she merely looked up at him, laughing.

"Ever hear of watching where you're going?" she asked, though he knew she was joking. "Are you trying to steal away Casey's reputation as a klutz?"

Derek adjusted the strap of his bookbag against his shoulder, and easily fell into place next to Emily, walking back in the direction he had just come from, knowing full well that he'd have to pass by Casey again.

"Casey's a klutz on her own terms," Derek said, shrugging. "I don't think I could be more of a klutz than she is if I tried. But she's getting better, I have to admit."

Emily raised an eyebrow at him, looking amused.

"She fell into a trashcan two weeks ago, Derek," she reminded him, and Derek couldn't help but supress laughter at the memory. "Mind you, it was at home, so nobody but me and you and Sam saw it, but still. You could've helped her clean herself up though, by the way. I don't think she was too happy when I was picking banana peels off of her, and you and Sam were running around looking for the video camera."

"It was a picture perfect moment," he offered, shrugging. "Besides, I told her she looked cute anyway. She was blushing, and she had pudding all over her neck, and... oh it was hilarious."

Emily shook her head, a look of annoyance on her face.

"Charming," she noted, shaking her head as she tried to ignore Derek's lack of maturity. "Anyway, how is everything?"

Derek shrugged, one hand curling around the strap of his bookbag as he sighed, and stared straight ahead.

"It's pretty tough," he admitted, shrugging. "Casey's freezing me out, and what's more is that she's back with Max now."

"I know," Emily said softly, sympathy in her eyes. "I heard. How are you handling that?"

Derek snorted in a sad attempt to mask his pain. Needless to say, it did not work. Emily could clearly see how much pain her friend was in, and they both knew it.

"I'm not doing too good, obviously," he noted sadly, sighing. "I mean, I based everything around me and Casey for a good eight or nine months, and all of a sudden, she's leaving me to pick up the pieces by myself, while she goes off with the asshole who was abusing her."

"Abuse?"

Derek turned his head to see Emily giving him a curious look, her lips firmly set into a frown as she watched him with confusion. Derek nodded, his face serious; he needed someone, _anyone_ to believe him on this. He felt like he was completely alone, and that feeling scared him, as much as he didn't want to admit it. He hadn't been alone for a long time now, and he was seriously worrying about whether or not he was going to be able to do this.

"Yeah, abuse," he confirmed, trying to sound as serious as possible. "Max abused Casey around the end of their relationship, and you can't tell me you didn't even suspect it."

Emily bowed her head, her cheeks blushing slightly as she bit her lip, hiding her shame.

"Yeah, I guess I noticed," she admitted, shrugging. "I mean, I asked her about it once, and she told me it was nothing to be worrying about, that she'd gotten the bruises when she was fooling around with Lizzie, or something. But I never did believe her. I just stayed out of it because I was afraid of making things worse. But I'm guessing you never?"

Derek snorted, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course I didn't," he said, looking rather smug. "It's me; do I ever pass up a good fistfight?"

"Not unless it's with Casey," she replied, shrugging. "You know she could totally kick your ass."

"Pfft, no," Derek joked, but his laughter faded off as they passed by Casey and Max, neither of which noticed him passing by. He turned his head away as quickly as possible, his smile faltering into a frown, and Emily noticed, sighing as they sped up down the hall a little bit to get away from the other two. They finally came to a stop at Emily's locker, where another girl was standing, apparantly waiting for her. Derek studied her for a moment, curious. She had long blonde hair, cut straight across her back, and she had on a white button-up shirt over a blue tank top. Her jeans were light, and her make-up was done very faintly, just enough to make her features stand out more noticeably. Derek had never seen her around before, but apparantly, Emily knew her.

"Hey Alyssa," Emily said, as they came to a stop by her locker. "What's up?"

"I forgot to give you back your biology notes after class," the girl said, grinning sheepishly as she handed the blue notebook to her friend. "Transferring in the middle of the year is the worst. The notes you guys got are so different from mine."

"Are you new here?" Derek questioned, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. "I'm just assuming; I haven't been here in awhile."

The girl's blue eyes flickered over to him, and she smiled as she nodded her head, looking a little bit shy.

"Yeah, I started last week," she noted, sounding as though she was nervous. "Emily's been showing me around, and stuff, which I really should thank her for."

"It's no problem, really," Emily said, as she shook her head and pulled her locker open. She turned to Derek, giving a nod of the head towards him. "This is Derek Venturi, by the way. He's my next door neighbour. Derek, this is Alyssa Bailey. She's from Halifax, Nova Scotia."

Derek nodded at her, and she held out a hand for him to shake. Awkwardly, he reached out and shook it quickly, drawing back almost immediately to stuff his hand back into his pocket. If she noticed his hesitance, she said nothing, merely glanced up at the schedule posted inside of Emily's locker.

"You've got English?" she questioned, sighing. "I've got Math."

Derek turned to her, raising an eyebrow.

"Room two fourteen?" he questioned, and when she nodded, he bit his lip, nodding back at her. "Me too. Do you know where it is?"

She shook her head, looking as though she wasn't sure if he thought she was an idiot for forgetting these things so soon.

"I've already forgotten," she noted, shrugging, and Emily looked up at Derek, shrugging.

"Why don't you show her where it is?" she asked, and Derek shot her an annoyed look as he raised his eyebrows at her. He hadn't asked for her to volunteer him to be a tour-guide, though he knew he probably would've done it anyway. Casey really had turned him into a nice guy.

"Sure," he said, and he saw the relief flicker across the girl's face, probably just happy that she wasn't going to have to wander the halls for twenty minutes until she found her classroom. As the bell rang overhead, he shrugged nervously, nodding towards the direction of their math class.

"Come on, then," he said, sighing. "It's this way. I'll see you later, Em."

"See you later," she replied, and smiled at the blonde-haired girl. "Talk to you later, Aly."

The girls waved at each other, and Derek shifted awkwardly, not really wanting to say much to this girl. It wasn't that he was anti-social, or mean, or anything like that. But he was just in the sort of mood in which he didn't want to make new friends, and he didn't want to talk much about anything. His mind was way too focused on Casey, and their previously perfect relationship. He just couldn't force himself to accept that they were really over.

"What happened to your arm?" he heard the girl walking alongside him ask, with a curious gleam in her eyes as she gestured towards the rather large and swollen gash alongside his right wrist. He glanced down, cringing at the injury that had not fully healed, and he reached over to quickly pull his sleeve down over it, concealing it from view. He had been doing that all day, but his sleeve just kept rising up, and he knew it was no use to bother fixing it time and time again.

"Sorry," Alyssa said, noticing how quickly he had jumped to cover up the injury. "If you don't want to tell me, you don't have to. I'm just asking 'cause it looks pretty painful."

Derek relaxed a little, realizing that he was jumping to conclusions way too quickly. She was only asking an innocent question; he didn't have to rush to cover up his injuries or anything. If he didn't tell her what had happened, she'd just hear a rather garbled version of the truth from someone else, later. He knew it was best if he just told her what had really happened.

"I was in an accident," he admitted, shrugging. "About a week and a half ago. I've got alot of cuts and bruises and stuff, but it's actually not as bad as it looks. I was only knocked out for a couple of hours, and I bounced back pretty quickly. The person in the other car... she got the worst of it."

He decided against going into detail, and explaining that the person in the other car had been his girlfriend, who couldn't even remember him as such anymore. It wasn't like it was a big secret, because he knew she'd find out anyway through someone else, but he didn't feel like rambling about his pathetic love life to some absolute stranger. He had enough trouble admitting how awful his situation was to himself.

"Was the other person okay?" she asked, and as Derek looked up, he saw Casey and Max walking by. Max was holding onto her hand, putting on his best smile for her, and Casey was laughing at something he had just said to her. Only Max noticed Derek looking at them, and he merely gave a smug smirk, and brushed by, completely blowing him off. Derek stalled for a moment, slightly taken aback, but the sound of her laughter, and her happiness, echoed throughout his head, and he forced himself to nod, gulping.

"Yeah," he said quietly, as they arrived at their classroom, "-she's doing perfectly fine."

It was him that was suffering the worst of it, after all.

-**Into the Night-**

Finally, _finally,_ after what seemed like days upon days of cruel and hideous torture, the school day came to a close. Derek was absolutely convinced that this had been the longest day that he'd ever had to endure. His classes had dragged on endlessly, and his teachers lectures and rantings had seemed even longer, and more boring than usual. The work they had been assigned to do seemed completely pointless to him, even more so than usual. Even lunchtime hadn't cheered him up, considering the conversation he had overheard between Casey and Max, at the time. He couldn't believe everything that Max was telling Casey. It was all lies, every last word of it. He'd made up a scenario for their breakup, and he'd made Derek out to seem like a liar. And right now, he had Casey convinced that sex was a step that she had already taken with him, and that it would be perfectly okay for her to persue it again. And if there was anything Derek could do about it, she wouldn't be doing anything like that with Max in her natural born life. The thought of Max so much as touching her made Derek's stomach turn with nausea. Casey was _his, _and Max had absolutely no rights to her. And even if Casey didn't know that, Max sure as hell did. But it looked like that wasn't going to stop him.

Casey got home about twenty minutes after Derek that day. She had caught a ride home with Max, and as she came in through the front door, she was met with a very angry and desperate looking Derek. He was standing a couple of feet away from the door, his arms folded across his chest as he watched her hesitate, and close the door behind her.

"Uh, hi?" she questioned, raising an eyebrow at his appearance. "Can I help you?"

She hung her coat up on the coatrack, and dropped her bookbag from her shoulder, to the floor. Derek followed as she made her way over to the couch, taking a seat hesitantly, distancing herself from Derek, who chose to sit at the other end of the couch, for safe measure. He wasn't sure he could refrain from kissing her, or anything, if he got too close to her.

"Everything Max told you today at lunchtime was a lie," he said, biting his lip. "I know you think of me as the world's biggest liar, and I know you practically hate me. I also know that I told you I was through with trying to convince you, but this is my last warning to you, I promise."

She raised an eyebrow, and Derek knew deep down that she didn't believe him. He could read her emotions in her eyes.

"He told you that you guys broke up because he wasn't paying enough attention to you, but that's only half true. Sure, he never paid you enough attention, but he also hit you, and yelled at you, and insulted you. He used to bug you about being too fat, and he'd get mad at you if you weren't covering up your bruises. And do you want to know who was there for you during all of that? I was. I helped you through it, and throughout it all, we fell for each other. I'm telling you the truth."

She lowered her gaze to the floor, biting her lip, and when Derek sensed that he had her attention, he took his chances and continued.

"And if there's one thing I'm going to ask you to do, it's not to have sex with him," he said quietly, his voice scared. She looked up into his wide eyes, and saw how desperate he looked. He no longer looked angry or frustrated, even if he was. He looked scared, and he looked worried. He looked like the sort of guy who was heartbroken, and who was using his last ditch effort to keep the girl he loved from having sex with another man.

"Even if you don't believe me, and even if you stay with Max, I want you to wait before you do anything like that with him," he continued, moving a little bit closer to her. "Your first time was with me, and that's a promise. I know Max is telling you otherwise, and I know you're probably going to believe him over me, but... I'd really appreciate it if you could just listen to what I'm saying, and try to understand."

Casey was staring hard at her feet, and for one split, heartbeat second, Derek thought he had her. He thought that maybe she believed him. But when she looked back up, she shook her head, the anger returning to her gaze.

"I'd really like it if you'd stop listening in on my personal conversations, and if you'd stay out of my life."

Without another word, she jumped up, and as soon as she turned to run away, Derek reached up to grab her wrist. She was prevented from moving forwards, and Casey frowned, her eyes begging.

"Please, just let me go," she said, shaking her head at him. "Let me live my life, and you go ahead with yours. Find another girl; it can't be that hard. Half the girls in our school would get with you in a second."

Derek shook his head, though his fingers released her wrist, and he sighed, wishing that she could understand.

"They aren't you, Casey."

She stared at him for the moment, the slightest hint of remorse and sympathy in her eyes. But she shook the emotion away as she glared at him, and took a step backwards.

"Leave me alone," she said, for what felt like the hundreth time. "I don't see how that's so hard to understand!"

Derek heard a knock on the door, and Casey practically ran towards it to answer it. He dropped his hands back down to his lap as he gave an exasperated sigh, and watched as she pulled the front door open. His hands clenched into fists at the sight of Max stepping into the house. His heart started racing, and he wanted nothing more than to jump up and knock the guy to the ground. The gleam in Max's eyes was already smug as he saw Casey smiling up at him. How wonderful the jerk must feel, knowing that he had Casey completely fooled, that he had her wrapped around his finger. Derek could just imagine him bragging to all of his friends in the locker room about how he had the poor girl absolutely fooled, and how he was pulling one over on the famous Derek Venturi.

Max noticed Derek sitting on the couch, and he gave him a tiny nod of the head. He grinned, for Casey's sake, but Derek could see the message shining through in his eyes, and his grin. He was here to rub this in a little bit more. He was showing Derek that he was winning, he was the one who had Casey.

"Sup, Derek?" he questioned, as though they were old friends. Derek raised an eyebrow, giving Max a look of disgust. Did the bastard think that he was going to play along, and pretend like they were old pals, just so Casey would think Max was a great guy? Did he honestly expect him to just give in and get along, so that Casey would assume there was nothing bad between them? After all they had been through, the term 'forgive and forget' was never going to apply.

Derek glared, folding his arms across his chest pointedly.

"Didn't you just drop her off two minutes ago?" he questioned, bitterness and hatred in his voice, and expression. "What are you doing back here already?"

Max sighed, taking a step further into the house, and closing the door behind him. He straightened up, putting on his best innocent face, and shrugging.

"Look, D," he began, and Derek raised an eyebrow at the casual use of his nickname, "-I know that me and you have never really seen eye to eye, but you're my girlfriend's stepbrother, so I'm going to have to see alot of you. I don't want us to be fighting, and putting all the stress on Casey."

He timed it perfectly, wrapping one arm around his girlfriend's shoulders, pulling her a little bit closer. His eyes were locked with Derek's the entire time, and his every movement was meant to taunt and torment his enemy, even if Casey thought that this was a sincere apology. She continued to lean into Max's hold, smiling up at the boy who was holding onto her, as though he was the most amazing guy she had ever seen before. Derek nearly choked with disgust; she thought that he was being _noble_. What a joke. He was being far from it. He was being a jerk. But he continued to stare at Derek as he gave a half-smile, still smug, and continued with his sickeningly sweet false apologies.

"I think we can both agree that this childish fighting has to stop, right?" he questioned, one eyebrow raised. "I know you've been lying about me, and I'm prepared to forgive you for it. I know this whole thing is awkward and everything, but... if we can call a truce, I won't even make you admit that you were lying, and that you were wrong. We all know that the stuff you've been feeding to Casey about me being abusive is a lie. But I understand where you're coming from. You must be in a hard situation, and... well, truce?"

He stuck out his hand for Derek to shake, but he merely stared at it as though it was the most disgusting thing he had ever seen in his life. Did Max honestly expect him to smile, and agree to all of this bull? It was never going to happen. Derek could see right through his phoney lies, and his sweet talk. He was putting this all out there so that Casey coul think he was the bigger man in all of this. And, despite how childish he was going to look, Derek shook his head, and took a step backwards.

"No, no truce," he bit out angrily. "I hate you, and you hate me. You don't want to be apologizing to me, you just want Casey to think you're better than me. I don't care how childish Casey thinks I am for this; I'm not forgiving you for a damn thing. You hurt my girl, and you've done so much damage, and whether she believes it or not, you know it's true."

Max merely blinked, unphased by this little rant of Derek's. Casey was watching her stepbrother with narrowed eyes, obviously disgusted by his refusal to get over his hatred.

"You can take all your fake apologies, and go to hell, because I'm never going to call a truce with a pathetic excuse for a man like you."

"Derek," Casey warned, raising an eyebrow at her stepbrother. "Max is doing a nice thing. Can't you just-"

"No, Case," Derek said, glaring at her. "Max is fooling you, and you're stupid enough to fall for his sugar-coated lies. If you like being the abused girlfriend, then go ahead, stay with him. Who am I to come in between such a _perfect_ pairing, right?"

"Watch what you're saying, Derek," Casey said, her eyes narrowed as she shook her head at him. "Nobody believes this abuse stuff you're getting on with. I know you're jealous, but do you honestly think I'm going to believe some make-believe abuse story from someone who has never told me an ounce of truth in their life? Lying about Max isn't going to make me like you, you know."

He was done arguing with her over this. He looked over at Max, glaring angrily, and he shook his head at him, warning flashing throughout his eyes.

"You so much as lay a finger on her, and you're dead," he cautioned, and without another word, he turned, and stormed off towards the stairs. He wished that Casey cared enough to call after him. He wished that someone was on his side here. But he had to face the scary reality that he was all alone. He didn't have Casey anymore, and now he probably never would.

And as he sat on his windowsill five minutes later, and watched as Max and Casey got into Max's car, and drove off, he came to the sad realization that she was never going to believe him. He had to stop his sad attempts to convince her, because they obviously weren't going to work. Maybe he had to accept that she was happy, now. But as hard as he tried, he couldn't bring himself to be okay with her being happy with a monster like Max. He kept seeing flashes of her scared eyes, her broken expression, during those times when Max had abused her. And the lingering fear of the past repeating itself kept him from accepting her happiness.

Because he knew that this new Max, the one who was so fake-sweet to her, and to Derek, would never last. Max wouldn't be able to resist himself, eventually. Derek was just waiting for the day that he'd snap. And as much as he didn't want Casey to get hurt, he knew that this was the only way she would ever come close to seeing that Derek had been right all along.

* * *

**So there was a new character in this chapter; what did you think? And yeah, Max is an absolute jerk, but of course, he always was! Review, and I will update again. **


	13. The Baileys

**If you are offended by drug use or suicide, turn back, because this has mention of both. No worries; there is no actual suicide in this chapter, and it is not an important character that is referred to, so relax.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. **

**Chapter Thirteen: The Baileys**

"I win again!" Edwin declared, pumping his fist into the air triumphantly. "Dude, where's your head today? I never win anything against you; you feeling okay?"

Derek turned to his brother, no emotion in his voice as he flicked the Playstation 3 controller onto the couch next to him, and pulled on the lever that was attached to the side of his armchair. The footrest went up, and he adjusted himself so that he was more comfortable, before shrugging, and changing the channel on the television. Some music video popped up, and Edwin watched his brother for another second, before settling down against the couch, sighing.

"That's cool, though," he noted, trying to downplay his victory a little bit, for his brother's sake. "I probably just got lucky, or something."

Derek ignored him, sighing as he pretended to be paying attention to whatever was on the screen. In truth, his mind was elsewhere. All he could focus on was when Casey would get home. She had been out with Max since three thirty, and had called to tell her mother she wouldn't be home for supper, and to save her a plate for later. It was now seven thirty, and while Derek wasn't worried that something had happened to her, he was terrified of the idea of Casey and Max, out together, on one of their stupid dates. Max was probably kissing her right about now, touching her... Derek hoped to God that it wouldn't get past that. He had no idea of whether nor not Casey was going to take that step with Max, or not. He could only hope that she wouldn't, but she wasn't his girlfriend anymore; he had no control over that sort of thing.

"How was the first day back, then?" Edwin questioned, straightening up as a commercial appeared on the television screen. "I bet your little fanbase of girls were just dying to make sure you were okay, huh?"

Derek cringed at the memory of the dozens of girls that had nearly trampled him that morning when he stepped into homeroom, desperate to see if his precious face had been damaged by the crash.

"Yeah, something like that," he offered, and it occured to him how much he had changed in the past year or so, since Casey had come along, anyway. Before, the idea of a pack of girls all over him would have been so enticing to him, but now, he was just wishing that everyone would leave him alone, and let him deal with his problems on his own terms.

"The first day back was okay though, I guess," Derek lied, not wanting to seem like too much of a pity case. "Pretty boring."

"How many girls asked you out now that you're a free agent, again?"

Derek sighed, tilting his head back against the chair, wanting to kill Edwin for sticking to such a horrible topic. But the poor kid had been there for him throughout all of this, and Derek would feel bad for yelling at him. So he calmly kept his gaze fixed on the screen, and gave his answer.

"Three," he offered, seeing Edwin raise an eyebrow out of the corner of his eye. "There was another one that came up to my locker and just sorta stood there for a few minutes. I kinda got the impression that she was gonna ask me out, but I could be wrong. Maybe she's just creepy by nature. She used to ask me out alot before me and Casey got together though, so I think she's just one of those creepy people who don't know when to leave you alone."

"I know the type," Lizzie said suddenly, as she came into the room, and threw herself down onto the couch. Edwin frowned at her as he shifted over to lean back against the arm of the couch.

"Trouble in Paradise?" Edwin questioned innocently, an eyebrow raised. "Is everything okay with you and Jamie?"

Lizzie grabbed a couple of jellybeans from the dish on the coffee table, and she nodded as she leaned back, popping one into her mouth.

"Me and Jamie are doing fine," she noted, as both boys watched her with interest. "It's your creepy friend Tyler that won't leave me alone."

Surprise was evident on Edwin's face as he sat up straighter, frowning.

"Tyler?" he asked, his voice suddenly worried. "What is he, uh... what is he saying?"

Lizzie shrugged, confusion evident on her face as she finished off the last of her few jellybeans, and wiped her hand on her blue and white pajama pants.

"He keeps asking me if me and Jamie still go out, and whether or not I like anyone else. Can you tell the guy to leave me alone, it's pretty creepy, actually."

"Lay off the poor guy," Derek snapped, feeling somehow connected to this Tyler character. "Did it ever occur to you that he has feelings, too?"

Both Edwin and Lizzie were giving him looks of astonishment, but before they could say anything to him on the matter, the front door opened up, and Casey came in. Derek looked up, his eyes automatically focusing on her as she slid out of her coat, and hung it up on the coatrack. She turned to see the three of them looking at her, and she gave an awkward wave of the hand, nodding.

"Hey," she said, and Lizzie and Edwin chorused a greeting. Derek didn't say anything, but she didn't really care. She glanced down at him, one hand on her hip.

"Derek, can I talk to you for a second?" she questioned, and his eyes widened as he tensed, feeling insecure.

"Me?" he choked out, half worried, half hopeful. "You're always telling me _not_ to talk to you. What did I do?"

"Just come with me," she said, and without another word, she grabbed the sleeve of his sweater and hauled him from his chair. He had no choice but to follow, and she only let go of his sleeve when they were in his room, with the door closed. She practically threw him onto his bed, and any other time, he probably would've made some wisecrack about it, but today was different. Today, Casey looked angry with him, and he knew that she was in no mood for wisecracks.

"Um, something wrong?" he questioned nervously, straightening up a little. She placed a hand on her hip, glaring at him as she shook her head.

"What's your problem?"

His eyes widened, and he frowned, propping his hands up behind him on the bed.

"What do you mean, what's my problem?" he asked curiously, having no idea what she was talking about. "I don't have a problem."

"You were a jerk to Max," she stressed, raising an eyebrow. "He tried to apologize, and put an end to whatever troubles went on between you two in the past, and you were a complete _asshole_ to him. What is _wrong_ with you? Don't you know how to be the better man?"

Derek snorted, looking away from her as he folded his arms across his chest.

"Between me and Max, it's not too hard," he informed her, shaking his head. "It comes natural."

Her glare only grew with anger, and she shook her head at him, obviously not pleased with him.

"This isn't funny, Derek," she told him, her voice serious. "Whatever issues you have with Max, or with me, you're going to have to push aside, because I'm not having you insulting Max everytime he comes over."

Derek snorted, lying back on his bed comfortably. He felt a clench in his stomach as he remembered all the times he had laid down on this very bed, with Casey lying comfortably in his arms, looking up at him with her eyes full of affection. Where was all of that affection now? All he could see in her eyes now was disgust and anger, and a resentment towards him that he would never fully understand. The memories were in her head somewhere; why couldn't she just remember them?

"If that's the case, I suggest Max doesn't come by the house anymore," Derek pointed out, shrugging. "Because I'm never gonna like that sorry excuse for a man, and I'm never going to forgive him for what he has done to you."

"He hasn't done _anything_ to me!" she yelled at him, shaking her head. "Can you just _shut up_ about this whole abuse thing, because it's nothing but absolute _bullshit_! You're ruining my life by following me around, lecturing me about whatever you think Max has done. Do you hear me? If you love me as much as you claim to do, then do me a favour, and leave me alone! I've been as patient as I can be with you throughout this, because I know you're hurting, and I know you're going through a hard time. But it's to the point that you're stressing me out, and making it impossible for me to live my life. I'm willing to move on from whatever went on between us before, and I'm even willing to become your friend, if at all possible. But whatever resolve I have for friendship is starting to crack, because I really can't handle all of this pressure you're putting on me."

Derek was staring at her, wide-eyed, and he stood up, towering over her slightly as he took a step towards her. His body was shaking, but whether it was with anger or hurt, he couldn't tell. He was sure that the anger was shining through on his features, but he didn't care as he opened his mouth to fight back.

"Do you want to know something, Casey?" he spat out, no longer patient with her. "I love you, I really do. But you are so totally power-tripping right now. You think that just because I love you, you can take advantage of me, and say whatever the hell you like to me- because you think that I won't fight back. Well guess what? I can fight back when I want to. I choose my battles, and I'm picking this one. Because you are being a total _bitch _to me, Casey, and I don't have to take that."

Her eyes had widened, and for once, he had rendered her completely speechless. Her mouth was wide open, but no words were escaping as she stared on in shock. He nodded, feeling slight superiority sweeping through his body.

"Yeah, you heard me," he said, feeling like he finally had some sense of power over her. "I called you a bitch. The guy you thought would never fight back, is admitting that you're flawed. Because when you get like this, and refuse to believe a word that's so blatantly shoved in front of your face time and time again... well it's times like this that I don't understand why I'm even attracted to you. And if I can't put up with your bullshit, I don't know how the hell Max can. So stop being so righteous, and get out of my face. I don't have time for people who are dead set on making my life miserable."

Casey's eyes were filled with hurt, and for a split heartbeat second, he was scared that she was going to cry. And as much anger as he held for her right now, he didn't want her to cry. He hated it when he made her cry, or made her hurt. And sure, his words had been intended to hurt her, but he was already regretting what he had said to her.

But for now, her eyes remained dry, and Derek knew that he had to end this argument now, before he said anything else that he regretted- or worse; before he wound up apologizing to her, and coming off as the weak one yet again.

He turned his head to the side, his eyes filled with a new sort of darkness, one he had never held before. It was almost as though he had just passed some sort of a barrier, one that seperated him from sanity, and becoming some sort of a monster. And right now, he certainly felt like one.

"Get out of my room," he said quietly, his voice so quiet that it was almost a whisper. When she didn't even move, he looked up at her, his eyes flashing red. "Didn't you hear me? I said get _out_ of my room."

When she merely stumbled backwards, scared, he stood up, growling. She looked terrified, perhaps thinking that he was coming towards her, but he merely paused, studying her carefully, before he rolled his eyes, and brushed past her, storming out of the room and slamming the door behind him. The walls shook in the afttermath of his anger, and Casey only released the breath she had been holding when she heard the front door downstairs slam, and the sound of a car starting up in the driveway.

**-Into the Night-**

Derek was furious. He was shaking, he was red in the face, and he was absolutely enraged. He had been driving so fast that he had forced himself to turn onto the highway almost instantly after leaving the house. The last thing he needed was to crash this car, too. Since the car that he had been driving the day of the accident had been destroyed, and both Derek and Casey needed transportation several times a day, George and Nora had been forced to take some of the money they had saved up, and purchase another used car. This one was actually much better than the Prince had been, and looked next to new. It was a red burgandy colour, but right now, Derek didn't care what car he was in. All he cared about was channeling some of the anger he was feeling. He had just turned back onto the main road, which meant that he had to try and stay calm again, but anger was still coursing through him faster than a cheetah could chase down it's dinner.

"So stubborn," he was muttering, Casey's face flashing through his mind. "-doesn't believe a word of what I'm saying... what I ever saw in her..."

He was ranting, but if anyone had tried telling him that, they probably would've lost a limb. The look in his eyes was one of absolute hatred, and it occured to him that he had no idea who his hatred was directed towards. Certainly not Casey, for he loved her way too much to ever hate her for real. It could be towards Max, or it could even be towards himself, for causing this situation.

He came to a stop at a red light, and as he turned his head to see the people in the car next to him, he spotted a young couple, probably in their early twenties, who were stopped next to him. The man was driving, and the woman was slightly turned around, glancing back at what Derek assumed was a baby, as there was a carseat in the backseat. He felt his heart clench, and his mind flickered involuntarily towards his and Casey's unborn baby. His eyes narrowed, and an eerie calm went through him for a moment. He hated admitting it, but his thoughts hadn't even wandered back to the baby that they'd lost in days. He had been too focused on everything else going on in his life to even bother thinking about the baby. But now, he realized how much he was missing out on. He watched as the father in the other car glanced over at his wife, and grinned, and Derek felt a pang of jealousy. As scary as the thought of being a young father had been, he was pretty sure that he would've enjoyed it, once it actually happened. Being a father would have been a challenging, but amazing responsibility, and now, he'd never have that experience with Casey.

He cursed under his breath as the light changed to green, and the calm he had felt only a moment before was completely gone, replaced once more with absolute anger and distress. He drove on, with no real clue of where he was going.

Somehow, twenty minutes later, he found himself at the mall, browsing through the games store. He had been taking time off work since he got into the accident, but he still had a fat portion of his paycheck left. With no girlfriend to pay for, he really had alot more money on his hands, not that it was really an equal reward.

"Cash burning a hole in your pocket?"

Derek glanced over his shoulder to see Emily standing behind him with Alyssa, both girls grinning at him. He turned on the spot, managing a tiny smile, depsite his anger.

"Hey Em; hey Alyssa," he said, nodding at each of them. "What are you guys doing here?"

Emily shifted her purse to her other shoulder, nodding towards her friend.

"Alyssa is getting a game for her older brother," she explained with a shrug, before peering around Derek to see what he was buying. She raised an eyebrow, frowning. "Don't you already have that game?"

Derek glanced down to see a copy of Babe Raider in his hands, and he shook his head, dropping the game back into the sale bin, sighing.

"Yeah, I do," he said, his voice distant. "I'm not really paying attention right now, sorry."

"It's fine," Emily said, studying him carefully. She seemed to recognize that he was distracted, and she bit her lip, sighing. "Do you want to grab a bite to eat with us in the food court?"

Derek hesitated, glancing at the girls cautiously.

"I dunno," he said, looking for an excuse not to go. "I mean, I already had supper, and you know how I like to watch my weight, and all..."

He patted his stomach for effect, and Emily blinked at him, frowning. After a moment, she shook her head, grabbing onto his sleeve with a roll of her eyes.

"Very funny," she noted, laughing. "Now come on. The lineup at the fries place is getting long, and you know you love a good poutine."

Derek managed a very tiny grin, shrugging his shoulders as he allowed Emily to drag him from the store, Alyssa trailing along behind them.

"Can't argue with you there."

**-Into the Night-**

"-and you've got to see Derek play hockey," Emily dragged on, taking a sip of her green tea. "He's won our school the championship three years in a row now."

Derek leaned back, a smug smirk on his face as he gripped his cup of hot chocolate a little bit tighter.

"Why don't you just pop the question already, Em?" he challenged, raising an eyebrow. "You're droning on about me like we're married. Really, don't be scared; I'll let you down easy."

Emily glared at him, not even embarassed by his words.

"Shut up, Derek," she said, and Derek raised an eyebrow; she had definitely learned well from Casey. "I'm just big enough to admit that you're an amazing hockey player."

"Better believe it," Derek said, winking at her as he relaxed into his chair again. He turned to Alyssa, raising an eyebrow. "You like sports?"

She shrugged, a hesitant look on her face.

"I play soccer, and I really like hockey. But truth is, I've never played it; I just follow it when my brothers and father watch it."

"Total hockey-heads?" Emily guessed, an eyebrow raised. "My cousins are the same way."

"My Mom died about five years ago," Alyssa said, sighing as she sipped her tea again. "So basically, I'm stuck in a house full of guys. And they love their hockey."

"I bet," Derek said, nodding. "Me and my Dad and my brother are like that too. We drive the girls nuts."

Alyssa raised an eyebrow, sitting back in her chair as she looked on with interest.

"You sound like you've got a pretty big family," she noted, biting her lip. "I could be wrong, but-"

"No, no," he said, nodding. "You're right. I've got a brother, and a sister. And then there's my Dad, and my stepmom, and my stepsister, and... uh, Casey. You know her, right? She's Emily's friend."

Alyssa thought for a moment, before nodding slowly, still looking hesitant.

"I think I know who she is," she said, sounding uncertain. "She was the other one in the accident, right?"

Derek squirmed uncomfortably, his eyes darting up to Emily as he realized that Alyssa had somehow heard the truth from the many rumors circulating throughout their school. It didn't surprise him; if she hadn't of heard even a slightly garbled version of the truth by now, he'd be scared for the poor girl's social life. Derek, Casey, and Max were now the official talk of their school. And for once, Derek couldn't wait to be out of the spotlight. He just wanted everything to die down, so that the three of them could deal with this on their own terms, and stop being forced to face the dozens of rumors that were circulating the school about them.

Derek nodded at Alyssa, his cheeks a deep scarlet as he blushed, unsure of how much she knew about this.

"Yeah, she was in the other car. And I guess you've heard by now that she's my... _was_ my girlfriend, huh?"

Alyssa nodded, placing her cup down on the table again, and looking up at him honestly.

"Yeah, I heard about that, and before you ask, I know that you're her stepbrother, too."

Derek felt relief sweep through him, and he was suddenly glad that he wouldn't have to go through that with her. It was never something he was ashamed of, because that relationship had meant the world to him, but it was something that could get pretty complicated to explain, especially if someone was getting freaked out by it. But Alyssa did not appear to be freaked by the idea, and she merely nodded, running her fingers along the edge of the table casually.

"Don't worry about it," she said, shrugging. "When I was nine, my best friend's sister was dating their stepbrother. I didn't really understand any of it back then, but I remember seeing them together and just thinking that they looked really happy, and they looked like they belonged together."

"Oh yeah?" Derek questioned, sitting up a little straighter. Emily eyed him carefully, seeing that he was suddenly interested. "And what about now? Are they together now?"

Alyssa cringed, and Derek could tell that she was regretting bringing her connection up in the first place.

"Not exactly," she said, shaking her head. "When their parents found out, they freaked and seperated them. He got sent to his Dad's house in Ottawa. They were sixteen when they got seperated, and the second he turned eighteen, he came back to try and get her. He proposed to her, and a week after she turned eighteen, they got married, just so that their parents couldn't do anything to keep them apart."

"And?" Derek challenged. He had never really met anyone else who had fallen for their stepsister, so hearing about someone who had once been in a situation like his own was very interesting.

"He got her pregnant," she said, and Derek felt a chill go through him; this was strangely familiar. "They had the baby, and everything was going perfectly up until a few months later. Their parents finally tracked them down, and tried to make him leave. He got mad and wound up getting into a fight with his father. He got charged for assault, and was sent to prison for a few months."

"And did he get out?" Emily questioned, now just as interested as Derek was.

Alyssa shook her head, cringing.

"No," she told them, biting her lip for a moment. "The gaurds found him lying on the floor one morning, about three weeks into his sentence, dead. He took a really large dose of Cocaine, and he eventually went into respiratory arrest. Nobody found him until it was too late. They don't even know how he got ahold of the drugs; all they knew was that he had it on him. His wife committed suicide three months later, and now the baby lives with their parents."

Derek and Emily were silent, and Alyssa glanced back and forth between each of them, before wincing.

"Maybe that was a bad example to share," she noted, shaking her head.

Emily snorted, with a glance at Derek, who looked sick to his stomach as he attempted to take another sip of his hot chocolate, and failed.

"You think?" she questioned, and when Alyssa didn't answer, she shook her head, sighing. "Well their parents are just fine with their... well, I guess _were_ just fine with their children dating. They never had that concern, but now Casey's just sort of shutting him out, and-"

"That's enough, Emily," he said quietly, shaking his head. "We all know; the girl hates me. End of story."

Emily and Alyssa both gave him a sympathetic look, and Derek wanted nothing more than to scream. Whatever sense of tranquility he had felt only moments before, when he had been talking with his friends, was now gone, replaced with the same darkness as before. There was hatred floating throughout him, a reminder of how much he hated Max for doing this to him and Casey. His eyes darkened, and nothing but a mere shadow of his true self was reflected behind those dark eyes. He was lost in a trance, and he only snapped out of it when he heard Emily's voice speak softly to his right, a reminder that he still had someone- he still had people who cared about him, and were going to treat him like a human being. Because right now, he felt practically worthless. How important could your exsistance be, if the girl who was your everything thought nothing of you?

"You're a really great guy, Derek," Emily reminded him, shaking her head as her hand brushed against his lower arm gently. "Don't let this convince you otherwise. Just because Casey doesn't love you, it doesn't mean your life isn't worth living anymore."

Derek could think of nothing to say to her, so he said nothing at all on the matter. He brushed her hand away from his arm and stood up, grabbing his tray off of the table in front of him.

"Come on," he said, sighing. "I'd better be getting home, or my Dad will be calling me. Do you two need a ride?"

Emily shook her head, digging in her pocket for some spare change.

"It's fine," she noted, sounding rushed. "We can catch the bus. It comes in about five minutes; I lost track of the time."

Derek grabbed her wrist gently, managing a very forced laugh as he gave her an amused look.

"It's my fault you don't have a car anymore, remember?" he said, and she managed to smile a little as she raised an eyebrow. "The least I can do is give you two a ride home."

No more convincing was needed. Without any further argument, the girls were trailing along behind Derek in the general direction of the parking lot.

**-Into the Night- **

Alyssa's brother was Derek's new hero. The guy was only twelve, and he had to have every single video game known to mankind. Alyssa had mentioned him on the way to drop Emily off, and the second she had mentioned one of Derek's old favourite games, it had been a lost cause. Emily had been dropped off, and Derek had been well on his way to Alyssa's house, where she claimed her brother would be more than happy to lend him some of his games. Some of them he even had two copies of, and was willing to part with. The kid was a little bit of a nerd, Derek would admit. His room was filled with comic books, games, and random electrical equipment that Derek didn't even know the names of, but he didn't look like a nerd. Posters of bands were also standing out on his wall, blending his nerd personality with the way he dressed; like some little skater kid. He wore a blue and white tuque-style hat on his head, similar to the ones Sam had worn before, and his hair was long and brown, covering his eyes. His name was apparantly Jeremiah, but everyone called him Jeremy.

And by the time Derek had been over to Alyssa's for an hour, Jeremy had given him a whole armful of games, before running off upstairs to take a phone call. Derek was absolutely dazed, and it was unbelieveable to him that a kid like that could be so cool.

"Your brother's way cooler than mine," Derek noted, with a nod of the head towards the stairs as he situated himself on the couch comfortably, placing his stack of games down on the coffee table. "Let's trade."

Alyssa snorted, rolling her eyes.

"Anyday," she said, before frowning, looking guilty. "Nah, Jerry's not too bad. Him and Dad don't get along much, but he's a cool kid."

"I sense that," Derek said, nodding towards his stack of games. He looked around him, at the high ceiling, and the artwork that hung from the spotless white walls. "Your house is amazing, did I mention? Your Dad must have a great sense of art."

Her eyes darkened slightly, and she shook her head, biting her lip.

"My stepmother," she said, and Derek's head instantly turned to look at her, his eyebrows creased together.

"Stepmother?" he questioned, shaking his head. "You never mentioned-"

"She's not home much," she said, shrugging. "She's a nurse, and she works night shifts five nights a week. I only see her on weekends, usually. She's been trying to get her hours changed, but she hasn't had much luck with it. Since her two kids live with their father, her boss doesn't see her being home as much of a priority, I guess."

"How old are her kids?" Derek questioned, curious. "Anywhere near your age?"

"Nope," Alyssa said, reaching for a mint from the dish on the coffee table. "Jamie's her son, and he's three. Katie's seven. They're adorable, but I only see them during Easter, Christmas, and during the summer. They live with their father in New Brunswick."

"Oh," Derek noted, nodding. "That's cool, I guess. I don't get to see much of my Mom, either. She went to Spain for work last year. It was just supposed to be a temporary thing, but she met a guy up there, and she's been dating him ever since. She moved into his apartment and everything. He doesn't have any kids though."

"How long has your Dad been remarried?" she questioned, popping her mint into her mouth. "Has it been long?"

"About two and a half years now," he noted, and it only occured to him then that he had met Casey that long ago. It seemed alot shorter of a time period, in his mind. But alot had happened in that time frame, that was for sure. "He met my stepmom about three years ago, so everything was sort of rushed. I only met her kids about a month before the wedding. I was sort of just finding out that he was dating, when he sprung this whole engagement thing on us."

"Join the club," she snorted, and before either of them could, utter another word, the phone rang, and Jeremy's voice could be heard from upstairs.

"Aly," he called out, sounding rushed. "Phone. Aunt Sarah. Take it; now. I'm on a roll."

"Jeremy, you dork," she called out, rolling her eyes as she pulled herself up off of the couch. "Can't you talk to your own aunt for two seconds? It doesn't take much energy to put the damn controller down for five seconds."

There was no answer, and she looked down at Derek apologetically.

"I hope you don't mind; I've got to take that call. My aunt freaks out when I don't take the time to talk to her. She's a real family sort of girl, if you know what I mean."

Derek nodded, standing up, and he picked up the bag that Jeremy had presented him with, straightening himself up a little bit.

"It's okay, really," he said honestly, glancing down at his watch. "I've got to get going anyway. My Dad will probably freak if I'm not home soon."

"Okay," she said, nodding quick;y and giving him a tiny smile. "I'll see you in school then, okay?"

Derek nodded, brushing past her quickly, and no sooner had he stepped out the front door than he found himself crashing right into a larger guy, who had been standing outside the door, smoking. Derek stumbled backwards, catching himself on the doorframe, and he straightened up as the guy turned around to look at the much smaller guy he had just stunned. Derek looked up nervously, trying not to be intimidated; but it was hard. He was at least a good few inches taller than Derek, and way more muscular. He had on a black zip-up hoodie, with his hood up over his head, a hat covering his black hair. His eyes were slightly cold as he looked down at Derek, frowning.

"Who the hell are you?" he questioned, shaking his head. "Don't tell me you're Lyssie's boyfriend?"

It took Derek a moment to recognize that 'Lyssie' was probably a nickname for Alyssa, and he shook his head, frowning.

"No, not he boyfriend," he said, his voice weaker than he would've liked. "I'm Derek. And I'm just a friend."

The guy snorted, rolling his eyes as he took another drag. He stared off down the road casually, a faraway look in his eyes.

"That's what they all say," he said sarcastically, and Derek considered arguing, but one look at his strong build told him not to go there; it wasn't worth it. Without really looking at Derek, he decided to speak up and introduce himself.

"Matt Bailey," he said, glancing down at Derek and giving a slight nod. "Lyssie's brother. Who'd you say you were again?"

Straightening up, he tried to make his voice deeper than it had come out as before as he looked the guy in the eye, nodding.

"Derek Venturi," he said, and even his bravery could not mask all of the pain he was feeling right now. Casey was still on his mind, and he knew it was showing. Matt looked him over, his gaze searching and judgemental. He narrowed his eyes, before sighing, and shaking his head.

"You look like death, kid," he noted, and Derek knew it was probably true. What he didn't expect was for Matt to hand his smoke to him, nodding towards it. "Here, take it. It'll do you wonders."

Derek stepped back a little, holding up a hand as he shook his head to indicate that he wasn't up to it.

"No thanks," he said as politely as possible. "I don't really-"

"-want to get rid of the stress?" Matt finished, snorting. He looked away, smirking slightly as he took another drag himself. "Figures. Kids."

Derek's eyes narrowed with anger, and he felt his defensive side emerge as he stared on at the guy who had the audicity to call him a kid. If there was anything Derek hated, it was being belittled and made out to be something he wasn't. And that was definitely happening, right now.

So he reached out, narrowing his eyes as he snatched the substance from Matt's hands, glaring.

"Give me that," he noted as he nervously brought it up to his lips, his body tensing. It had been a split second decision, and now he wasn't so sure about it. But Matt was watching him with interest, and Derek knew that he was doubting him, right now. He didn't want to come off as a chicken, so he gathered his courage, and took a drag.

He instantly choked, and coughed, leaning over slightly. He should've known better; he'd never been good with handling smoke. Even as a kid, when his Uncle Roy would smoke around him, he would start coughing and breathing heavily like some freaky asthmetic. Not that he had asthma, he was just bad with smoke. But even this didn't feel right. He frowned, holding out what he thought was a cigarette, only to find it looked different.

Matt laughed, not cruelly, but with amusement, and he reached out, taking the joint back from Derek.

"Never done weed before?" he questioned, and Derek frowned, straightening up again as he regained his breath. He shook his head, ashamed, and Matt chuckled, inhaling the substance again.

"I didn't think so," he said, sighing. "Don't worry about it. You can stop blushing; I'm giving you kudos for trying it. It's fine, once you're used to it. You can have a full one if you want. Just take it easy. That thing ain't no crazy straw, you know. You don't suck it, or whatever the hell you just did."

Derek nodded, and for reasons he would never understand, he felt his hand moving to accept the untouched joint that Matt was offering him.

"Free of charge," he said, shrugging. "Just 'cause I like you."

Derek frowned; the guy didn't even know him. He was pretty sure he had only spoken about ten words to him- tops. But hey, if he liked him for that, who was Derek to argue. He saw Matt reach out and offer the lighter to him, and Derek stared at it blankly for a moment, unsure of what to do. He drank, sure, but truth be told, he'd never smoked, or done any type of drug before. He felt like such a loser, but he had no idea what he was doing with this sort of thing.

Matt sighed, stowing the lighter in his pocket again, sensing that Derek wasn't going to do much, right now.

"It's cool," he said casually, shrugging. "I'll leave you with that, then. If you want more, give me a call. 'Course I can't always give you free stuff, I gotta live too. But whatever. It's mostly the stronger shit I charge alot for, but you don't seem like you'll be needing any of that just yet."

The guy had to be nuts; who in their right mind practically advertised their drug dealings to a complete stranger? This guy was absolute jail bait. Derek watched as Matt backed up towards the door, sighing.

"Hell knows something stronger could help you, though," he noted, and Derek frowned, watching as he opened the door. "Like I said... you look like death."

And all Derek was met with was a door closing in his face, and the lingering question that raced through his mind intensely.

What the hell had just happened?

* * *

**Shocking, Derek, shocking. I will update upon reviews, so you know what that means. **


	14. Friends

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter Fourteen: Friends**

Derek finally got home at around ten o'clock that night, feeling slightly tired from the long day that he'd just forced himself through. He was no happier than he had been hours before, when arguing with Casey, but he was, nonetheless, calmer, and his anger had definitely settled a little bit. It was still buried, and he knew that it would only take one little spark to set him off again, but nonetheless, he felt calm at the moment, and he was happy with that.

When he stepped foot into his house and closed the door, he was met with the faint blue glow of the television flickering against the walls, and the sounds of some random soap opera that was playing. All of the lights were off, and he stumbled as he tried to make his way to the coat rack to hang up his leather jacket. Once his jacket was safely on it's hook, he reached for the lightswitch, flicking it on hopefully. He squinted as light flooded the room, unfamiliar to his eyes, and he glanced over at the couch, where a very confused looking Casey was glaring over at him.

"Why'd you turn that on?" she questioned, frowning. "I'm watching the OC."

"Of course you are," Derek muttered, sighing as he flicked the light off again. He somehow managed to use the blue light from the television to make his way across the room, and pull himself up onto the arm of the couch, glancing down at the girl who was seated a foot or so away from him.

"So you're okay with me breaking my neck, as long as you get to watch those too drama-teens suck face?" he said, motioning towards some random pairing on the television who were kissing. "That's great, Casey."

She scowled, looking up at him.

"Can you shut up?" she questioned, frowning. "Marissa gets killed in this one. I wanna watch it."

Derek rolled his eyes, snorting as he slid down onto the couch, putting a bit of distance between the two of them.

"Yeah, that sounded reassuring," he remarked sarcastically, shaking his head. "You're a weird one; I'll admit that."

Casey seemed to be giving him the next best thing to the silent treatment, for she would barely look at him, and she kept her gaze icy as she stared at the TV, a tiny pout on her face. Only then did Derek remember the full extent of their argument earlier, and he remembered everything that he had said to her. He frowned, biting his lip as he shifted a little bit closer to her.

"Are you still mad at me for earlier?" he questioned, feeling worried. "I didn't mean to call you a bitch, I really never. I mean, maybe I was thinking it, and it was sort of... no, never mind. No matter how badly you were treating me, I don't think I hold any right to call you a bitch."

Casey didn't even budge, and he felt his heart clench at her bitterness. He tensed, giving her a desperate look.

"Hey, Case?" he said shakily, forcing a tiny smile. "Come on, please?"

She remained silent, and he sighed, before grabbing the remote off of her knee, and flicking the off switch. The screen went blank, and Derek flicked the lamp on, giving her a pointed look as she gave him an angry glare. Her eyes were murderous as her eyebrows furrowed together with anger and annoyance.

"Der-_ek!"_ she cried, clearly frustrated. "I was watching that."

"And I'm trying to talk to you," he said firmly, shaking his head. "Like it or not, Casey, me and you have to talk. We can't keep living like this; we're making our family miserable with all of this hatred we're putting out there. We need to come to some sort of terms with each other."

Derek expected her to yell at him, or hit him, and turn the TV back on. He fully expected to be ignored, and shut out again. That was just what he was getting used to, with this new Casey. But surprisingly, she folded her legs underneath her, making herself more comfortable, and she nodded her head, no hint of anger on her face.

"You're right," she agreed, and Derek stared at her, wide-eyed and taken aback. "We really need to get this sorted out."

Derek blinked in surprise, placing a hand on his chest as he frowned.

"Me?" he choked out, obviously with disbelief. "You think that... that _I'm_ right, about something?"

Casey bit her lip, blushing slightly as she gave an almost invisible nod, perhaps finding all of this hard to admit to.

"Yes," she got out, her tone forced. "You are right on this one, tiny, trivial thing. We really need to start getting along, for the sakes of the rest of the people in this house, and for our own sakes. This fighting isn't helping anyone. You hate it, I hate it, and it's getting us nowhere."

"Right," Derek agreed, nodding his head. "So... where do we start?"

Casey squirmed uncomfortably, fiddling with the loose ends on the sleeve of her black sweater.

"Would it help if I said I was sorry for being a bitch to you?" she asked timidly, sounding ashamed. "I don't mean to hurt you like this, Derek. I really don't. And I know I'm like a roller-coaster of emotions right now, and I've sort of got you pinned on there with me, but try to understand where I'm coming from. I woke up in a hospital room to find out that the guy who I've- no offence- practically hated for the past year or two, is now my boyfriend, and that I was pregnant with his kid. Never mind that you're my stepbrother; the rest is hard enough to face. And then I find out that I have like... no contact with the guy I thought I was with all along. And now, you're throwing stuff in my face about abuse, and it's just tipping the scale way too far for my liking."

"But I'm telling the truth," he said quietly, his voice desperate. "I know you don't believe me, but-"

"I want to," she said, shrugging. "I've _tried _to. But I can't, knowing that Max hasn't done anything to me since I've woken up. He's being a perfect boyfriend to me, Derek. If what you're saying is true, and he really hurt me, then... I dunno, he's not anymore. So whether he did or not, I'm going to try and put the past behind me, and move on with my life. And it wouldn't hurt for you to do the same."

Derek wanted to argue, and tell her he wasn't going to move on, as if nothing had happened between the two of them, but he knew that there was no point in trying to convince her of that. He was to the point that he could understand that she was not going to be persuaded away from Max, and she didn't like him at all. He was just going to have to move forwards with his life, and accept whatever she was proposing.

"What do you want to do then?" Derek asked, frowning slightly. "I mean, you've been a big part of my life for the past nine months or so. I'm not really ready to just let you go completely. I know it's weird for you, but try and understand that you've been really important to me for a long time, and for you to shut me out completely would be really hard on me."

She shook her head, and he could have sworn that sympathy flickered through her eyes for a moment.

"I'm not going to shut you out," she assured him, and he looked up at her hopefully. "I'm willing to be your friend, or... something like that. If you want."

"I want it," Derek said quickly, nodding. "I don't think I can handle all this fighting for much longer. So if friendship is what you're offering..."

He trailed off, but she seemed to understand, and she nodded, biting her lip.

"Okay then," she said, sounding as though she had no idea what to say to him. "Then it's settled, I guess. We'll be friends. It'll be hard for me to get used to... but... yeah."

Derek snorted, glancing away from her quickly.

"Yeah, it'll be hard for me to get used to, too," he noted truthfully. "That's not exactly what I've seen you as for the past nine months."

Casey looked up at him, worried that there was anger in his voice, but she saw him giving a sad smile, and shrugging.

"But it's something I'm willing to accept," he finished, and she relaxed considerably, nodding at him. He took a deep breath, preparing to swallow his pride, and suck it up. "And for the record, I'm sorry about everything I said to you earlier. I'm not going to lie and tell you that I'm sorry about what I said to Max, because I'm not, and I don't want to lie to you. I meant everything I said to him, and if you're looking for some sort of peace to occur between me and him... it's just not going to happen. But I _am_ sorry for what I said to you."

She thought it over, and he half expected her to get angry with him for not being sorry about what he had said about Max. But she must have decided that compromise was the only way to go, for she drew in a deep breath and nodded, looking hesitant.

"Apology accepted," she finally said, looking uncomfortable. "And for the record, I guess I can get used to you and Max not getting along. I mean, I'd prefer it if you did, and it would make everything so much easier, but..."

"Not going to happen."

She cringed at his obvious determination, but nodded again, sighing.

"Right," she noted, her voice forced. "Not going to happen; okay."

It was not a mutual agreement, but they somehow wound up dropping the topic. It was like an unspoken decision between the two of them, and as Derek squirmed uncomfortably in the chair, he nodded towards a stack of movies that were sitting on the coffee table, that hadn't been there that morning.

"You rented movies?" he questioned, and Casey nodded, also looking as though she found this awkward.

"Yeah," she shrugged, her voice timid. "There was nothing else to do, and... well, I was going to watch one, if you wanted to join me."

He nodded, though he tried to act as though it was no big deal to him, even though the idea of having an excuse to sit with her for two hours was absolutely amazing to him.

"Alright," he agreed, his voice off-hand. "But I'm warning you now, it had better not be a chick flick, or any of that romance crap you like watching."

She reached over onto the surface, a tiny smirk on her face as she pulled the first movie off of the stack, holding it up so that he could clearly see the title. Derek's eyes widened, and he felt surprise flicker through him.

"Amityville Horror, huh?" he said, raising an eyebrow. "I'm impressed, but ten bucks says you'll run out of the room before it's over."

She raised an eyebrow as she opened the case, and popped the DVD out, twirling it on her pointer finger.

"What makes you say that?" she asked, curious. "I do just fine with horror movies."

"Well the last time me and you sat down to watch this movie, you slept in my room for five days straight, because you were terrified that someone was going to come into your room in the middle of the night, and-"

He trailed off, blushing a little as he realized that he was going on about something that she had absolutely no memory of, and what was more was that his ramblings were from a time period which she was clearly uncomfortable talking about. He clamped his mouth shut, sighing. Being her friend was going to be complicated, if he wasn't really going to be able to talk much about their old relationship. The happy memories were the only ones he really liked to talk about, and clearly, they were on a subject level at which she would not be willing to discuss with him.

He nodded towards the DVD player, frowning.

"Just turn it on."

Nodding, she scurried towards the device, and popped the DVD into the player. Derek waited until she was seated again, before flicking off the light, sending them into almost total darkness. He was thankful for the lack of light, for it was the only thing that kept her from noticing the little glances he kept stealing at her every few minutes.

**-Into the Night-**

Derek's stomach hurt from laughing so much. His face was red, and he was out of breath as the closing credits rolled onto the screen, and he reached over to flick the lamp next to him on again. He continued laughing as he glanced over at Casey's pale face, and her widened eyes. She looked absolutely sick to her stomach. Her knees were drawn up against her chest, and she was chewing on the edges of her nails as she kept her eyes glued to the screen in horror. Her face had been buried into her knees for the first half of the movie, but upon Derek's call that she was a big baby, she had kept her eyes on the screen, even if he knew she was terrified.

"Problems, Case?" he questioned, grinning at her as he tried to catch his breath. "You look a little pale, there."

"P-Pale?" she stammered, shaking her head. "Why would I be pale? I'm absolutely f-fine."

"If you say so..." he said off-hand, his voice trailing down as he looked away. "Case, look out behind you!"

He made a quick motion to scare her, and Casey screamed, jumping slightly in her spot. Her neck craned around to see what was going on, but her face fell when she caught sight of her stepbrother laughing hysterically at her. She turned red with a mixture of anger and embarassment, and she shook her head, her eyes narrowing into angry slits as she recognized what Derek had done.

"Not _funny_, Derek!" she cried, her voice shaky as she smacked his knee angrily. "You're a jerk."

He shrugged as his laughter faded off to slight chuckles, and he was still grinning as he responded to her.

"I'm okay with being a jerk, if I get to watch you freak out like this."

She rolled her eyes, giving a pouty sigh as she folded her arms across her chest, flicking the TV off.

"That movie was sick anyway," she muttered, sounding disgusted, yet shaky. "Honestly."

"Oh shut it," Derek said, shaking his head. "You're just sooky because you were terrified."

"Was not."

"Was so."

She gave a growl of frustration, looking away.

"You're impossible," she noted, and he shrugged again, sighing.

"I'm okay with that, oddly enough."

A silence fell between them, and he could quickly feel the awkwardness creeping back between them. Whatever playfulness had been there only moments before was disappearing at the speed of light, and he found himself panicking. They were getting along so well; he didn't want her to close up on him now. He jiggled his leg impatiently, biting his lip as he racked his brain for something that the two of them could possibly talk about together. It was difficult, since Casey was only armed with bad memories of Derek, and Derek's own happy memories were ones which Casey would not want to discuss.

She surprised him with her next question, though.

"Can I ask you something?" she said, her voice sounding slightly embarassed. "You don't have to tell me, or anything, if you don't want to. It's just something I've been wanting to know."

He was lying on his back, his head agains the arm of the couch, and his feet near hers as he nodded his head, watching her intently.

"Anything," he said, preparing himself. "What is it?"

She bit her lip, and turned her head to look at him. Her eyes were filled with a sadness that Derek knew all too well, and he watched as she opened her mouth to speak.

"The baby," she said, and he gulped nervously; they had barely discussed this at all. "The one that me and you were supposed to have... was it a boy or a girl, do you know?"

He sighed, shaking his head at her as he sat up a little bit straighter, facing her.

"No, it was too early to tell," he admitted, and he watched as her face fell slightly. He softened as he shrugged, and glanced down at his feet. "I had a feeling it was a girl, though."

She looked surprised, and she bit her lip, squinting at him ever so slightly as she tried to make sense out of what he was saying.

"Why?" she asked him, curious as to how he knew this. "Did the doctor say anything about it?"

"No," he said, shaking his head. "It was just a feeling I got, you know? It was like an instinct, or something. It doesn't mean I'm right; I could be totally wrong, you know? But I just felt like it was a girl, like we were going to have a daughter together."

Casey was biting her lip, and staring off towards the floor. He noticed that she had brought her hand up to her flat stomach, and was frowning ever so slightly as she rubbed it gently, a dreamy look in her eyes. He knew that she was thinking about what they'd lost, and what they would never get back; their child.

"It would've been hard," she said quietly, her voice faraway. "We're not even out of high school or anything. How would we have taken care of it, while we were still in school? Both of our parents work, and I doubt we would've been able to afford daycare or a babysitter all on our own. I mean, maybe if our parents helped us, but I don't know."

"We only talked about it a little," he informed her, feeling secure in talking to her about this. "That was what we were arguing about, when we had the accident, actually. You called me about something, and we got to talking about raising the baby. You told me that you didn't want me to have to step up and look after the baby, if it wasn't mine. You wanted me to go ahead and finish school, and go to university. You told me you were proud of how much I had brought my grades up, or something."

"Why wouldn't it be your baby, if we were together?" she asked him, sounding worried. "I never like... cheated on you or something, did I?"

"No, no," he assured her, shaking his head. "Nothing like that. It's a long story. I'll... I'll tell you about it later, okay?"

She looked hesitant, but nodded, and he felt relief flood through him as he took a deep breath, and went on with his story.

"Anyway, I told you I'd stay off and take care of the baby, and let you go finish school," he said, shrugging. "You've just worked so hard your whole life, and I wasn't about to let you throw it all away for me. But of course, you had to be stubborn, and I got mad... distracted from the road, and well... you know the rest."

She nodded, frowning, and he prayed to God that she wasn't going to ask why the baby might not have been his. They were getting along right now, but he knew that the second he tried to accuse Max of something, no matter how true it may be, she was going to shut him out again, and they would wind up just as angry as they had been before. But right now, she looked like she was in too deep of a thought train to ask about anything. In fact, she looked like she had alot on her mind.

"Derek," she said, sounding nervous. "If I tell you something, can you promise not to tell Max, or anyone else for that matter?"

His heart leapt at the thought of her trusting him with something, and he sat up a little bit straighter, nodding eagerly.

"Anything," he promised, anxious now. "I won't tell anyone anything, I promise you."

She looked him in the eye to make sure that he was telling the truth, and when she saw that he was, she drew in a sharp breath, and gave him a weird sort of look that he couldn't even begin to read.

"Max has been telling me that my first time was with him," she said, and Derek felt his body tense for a moment at Max's lie. He clenched his fists together as she continued with her statement.

"You've been telling me it's with you," she continued, her eyebrows furrowed together. "You can't both be right, obviously. And truth be told... I... I believe you over him, on this one. I never believed him from the moment he said it to me."

Derek's eyes widened, and he felt a slight sense of power dawn over him as the meaning of her words sunk in. She trusted him on one thing, over her boyfriend. He was trusted by Casey. Sure, it was just on one thing, but with something this big... well, it felt amazing to be trusted, especially over Max.

"You believe me?" he asked, surprised. "Why me? Why not Max?"

She sighed, propping her elbow agains the arm of the couch, and her chin in her hands.

"I don't know, really," she admitted, shrugging. "It's just that... I dunno, the way you describe... _us_. From the way you tell me I felt about you, I think that sex was something I would've seen as okay. I obviously loved you; everyone has told me I did. And by the sounds of it, I loved you enough to do that."

He felt happiness spreading through him as he sat there, shock still. He waited for her to speak, because really, he had nothing to say.

"And Max, well... he said it himself; he thinks you were only saying it was with you because he thought that I'd want to be with the person my first time was with. And I think he's living out the lie he's accusing you of. He knows I think sex is special, and I think he knows that a part of me would want to stay with that person. I mean, obviously not in this case, but to tell the truth, I know he's lying about that."

Hurt replaced the happiness on Derek's face, and he frowned, looking slightly put out.

"So it's okay for him to lie, but you flip out at me when you think I'm lying?" he questioned, offended. "You've frozen me out all week because you think I'm lying to you, but when Max tells a lie, you don't even call him out on it."

She blushed, shrugging her shoulders as she tried to address his accusation as carefully as possible.

"He's my boyfriend, Derek," she said quietly, sounding embarassed. "I don't want to call him out on it because... I don't know... I think he's just doing it out of fear that I'll leave him. And the relationship is new to him again. The last thing I want is to start off on rocky grounds."

Derek shook his head, looking away from her.

"Whatever," he muttered, anger coursing through him quickly. "That's your call."

She frowned, tilting her head to give him a nervous looking glance.

"Derek?" she questioned, looking slightly anxious. "Derek, please don't be mad at me. We were getting along there, for a few minutes. Friends, remember?"

He turned his head, his eyes sad as he nodded his head, forcing the saddest smile he had ever worn. This was, after all, what Casey wanted. She was happy, and as long as Casey was happy, he wouldn't argue with her. If Max continued to be a good boyfriend, he couldn't act on his anger. As much as it would kill him, he would have to remain calm, and collective.

"Friends," he agreed, sighing. "As long as you don't hate me, anymore."

She shook her head, giving him a tiny smile, a hint of hesitance in her eyes.

"I don't hate you," she told him, and he almost believed that this was only half true. "I can see us being good friends, once I get used to you, a little bit. But you've got to stop this whole flippant rage against Max; you really do. Because I can't put up with that."

"But you don't hate me?"

Casey frowned; this seemed to be all that mattered to Derek, anymore. She bit her lip and shook her head, her eyes filled with sympathy as she tried her best to convince him of what he needed to hear.

"No, Derek," she confirmed quickly, sighing. "I don't hate you, okay?"

Derek felt happiness for one brief moment. But like every other time he allowed himself to be happy, something had to come along and interrupt it. And, as per the usual for this week, it was the arrival of Casey's idiot of a boyfriend that ruined it for him this time. He knocked on the door, and Derek figured that Casey must have known he was coming, and told him to come on in, because he didn't wait for someone to come to the door; he came right on in, wiping his sneakers against the doormat.

He looked up, and his eyes lingered for just a moment on Casey and Derek, sitting together on the couch. Only Derek saw the hint of anger that passed through his features, and Derek bit back a smug smile as Max swallowed hard, forcing his anger away; he couldn't overreact in front of Casey, obviously.

"Hey," he said, nodding towards the two of them. Casey returned the greeting, but when Derek simply ignored Max, she cleared her throat, and gave him a pointed look, nodding towards Max. Derek stared at her for a moment, glaring, before sighing, and deciding to suck it up.

"Hi," he said harshly, his teeth clenched together. He turned to Casey, scowling. "There; happy?"

She rolled her eyes and turned back to Max, sighing.

"Ignore him." she said, and Derek felt himself growing slightly offended; why was she perfectly nice to him, until Max came along? He hated being second best to that bastard.

"No problem," Max said, his eyes lingering for just a moment on Derek, before turning back to Casey. "Listen, I'm just here to drop off that binder you said you left in my car earlier."

He held up a blue binder, and Casey smiled, nodding her head as she stood up, crossing the room to take it from him. She tossed it onto the top step, and turned back to Max, still grinning.

"Thank you," she said, nodding her head. "You're the sweetest. You didn't have to come out at like... eleven thirty at night, just to give me this."

Max grinned, taking a step closer so that he could wrap his arms around her waist. Derek squirmed uncomfortably, his hands tightening into fists beneath his legs. He tried not to look over at the sickening couple, for he knew that he'd completely lose it if he saw the smug gleam in Max's eyes, but he could see them out of the corner of his eye, and it made him want to get sick.

"I do if I want my little brainiac to be all studied up," he said, kissing her forehead. He suddenly glanced over at Derek, nodding. "And you- I heard that you convinced the principal to let her stay in her regular classes; props to you on that one. I've really gotta thank you. I mean, I'm probably going to get into university on a scholarship, and I don't wanna leave my girl behind."

Derek grimaced, and rolled his eyes before he turned away. Casey was still giving Max that lovesick smile, and it killed Derek to think that she thought Max's actions were genuinely kind gestures of peace towards her stepbrother. Max hated Derek, and all he was doing was rubbing in what was already killing the poor guy.

He tried to keep himself from letting loose and getting violent as Max turned back to Casey, recognizing that Derek wasn't going to answer him. He held her closer, and dropped his voice so that it seemed like he was being secretive, even though him and Derek both knew that he wanted Derek to hear.

"There's something I wanted to ask you, though," Max said kindly, a serious look on his face. "I wanted to do it in person."

His hands gripped her waist a little tighter, and she bit her lip, looking up into his eyes.

"What is it?" she whispered back, though Derek could barely hear her.

Max shifted, acting as though he was nervous. Derek could see right through it; the guy was as calm as they came, and he knew that this was alot easier than it looked, for him.

"Well, the prom is coming up," he said, and Derek tensed, his eyes widening as he realized what Max was doing. "I guess it's kind of obvious, but I want to be sure we're on the same page here. So... you and me... we're going together, right? I mean, we do go out again, and people will just assume we're going as a couple."

_'Math equations,_' Derek thought desperately, closing his eyes tightly to try and shut out the scene around him. He was going to get sick, he just knew it. _'Casey always said math equations distracted her from anything she didn't want to pay attention to.'_

"So you're asking me to prom, I guess?" she questioned, smiling as she wrapped her arms around his neck, not noticing Derek's pain.

_'Five times five, twenty five... times that by two... it's fifty,' _he noted, making up random numbers in his head as he went. _'Fifty times six is... is...' _

"Of course I'm asking you," Max laughed gently, kissing her forehead again. "So is that a yes?"

_'That's three hundred. Three hundred divided by ten is-'_

"Of course it's a yes."

Max grinned, and as Derek's eyes opened up, he caught sight of Max leaning down, and covering Casey's lips with his own. His frustration and anger bubbled over the top, and he gripped the couch tightly, before jumping up, his face red with anger.

"Thirty!"

Max and Casey broke apart to see Derek standing there, his fists clenched, his chest heaving, and his face red. They both frowned at him, and Derek blushed even further, biting his lip as he tried to shake his anger away. Casey was fixing him with a strange look as she shook her head, frowning.

"Are you okay?" she asked him, sounding concerned.

Derek was about to tell her the truth. He was about to tell her that he obviously wasn't okay. The girl he loved didn't love him. The girl he loved was with a man who had formerly abused her, raped her, degraded her, and all around destroyed her. And now, that girl was going to prom with that monster. Of course he wasn't okay!

But his mind flashed back to the smile that had spread across her face when Max had asked her to prom. Sure, he knew that the smile wasn't for him, but it had been beautiful. It had showed her true happiness, and that was something Derek loved seeing on her. He couldn't wipe that smile off her face. He wanted her to be happy.

So he swallowed back his pride, nodding his head as he kept his eyes only on her, trying to block Max out of the picture.

"Yeah," he said, his face hot with embarassment and anger. "I'm okay. But I think I'm going to head to bed, alright?"

She nodded, giving him a tiny smile.

"Okay," she agreed, and Derek could tell that she could care less now that Max was there. "Thanks for watching the movie with me. Goodnight, Derek."

"Night, Case," he mumbled quickly, before grabbing his bag of video games that Alyssa's little brother had given him, and running up the stairs quickly.

The second he was in his bedroom, he dropped the bag, and he leaned against his door, his eyes shut tightly as he tried to contain his anger, his frustration, and his pain. It was all rushing through him so fast that he couldn't properly grasp a single thought for more than a second. He heard Casey giggle downstairs, and he growled with frustration as he reached into his pocket, pulling out the untouched joint that Matt had given him earlier, at Alyssa's house. He stared at it, and his anger welled up even more as he heard Max's deep voice floating up over the stairs, stabbing at his heart bitterly.

He gripped his free hand tight into a fist, and his eyes narrowed angrily.

"Where's the god damned lighter?"

* * *

**Review, and i will update.**


	15. Thrity Six Days

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter Fifteen: Thirty Six Days**

Thirty six days. It had been thirty six full days since Derek had last kissed Casey, or held her, or been able to call her his girlfriend. Thirty six days of misery and jealousy, of having to watch Max put his filthy hands all over her body, and put up with the sickness he felt everytime he watched Casey look at Max with those stupid lovestruck eyes. He had thought that he would become more tolerable, eventually. He had hoped that, if he had to watch it enough, he would begin to accept the fact that she was really over him, and she was not going to love him again. But the pain was real, and it cut just as deep everytime he watched her kiss Max. Each moment she spent with Max was like a fresh stab at his heart, piercing, murderous, and he hated it. He hated Max for being such a cruel liar. He hated himself for causing this stupid accident in the first place. And though he could never hate Casey, he hated that she couldn't see past Max's lies.

Derek sat by his window, looking down at the street below as he attempted to let the room air out. He had been smoking a joint awhile ago, and was now regretting not waiting until later. The effects were already wearing off. But now he had to get the scent of weed out of his room. It was just one of many joints that he'd smoked since that day he'd tried his first one, in his room. Matt had no problem whatsoever in supplying Derek with weed whenever he wanted, and Derek was ashamed to admit that he was probably the guy's most frequent buyer. He hadn't moved past weed, thank God, though he knew that, if he wanted anything stronger, anything better, Matt would get it for him, no problem. It wasn't that he hadn't contemplated it, because he had. Everytime he watched Casey with Max, he was tempted to go straight to Matt and ask for the strongest of drugs he could find. He wanted to get so damn high that Casey wouldn't even recognize him; but that was the problem, and it was the one thing that kept him from doing any hard drugs. Casey hated druggies. What she probably didn't remember, is that Max had been high on a few of the occasions he had hit her, though certainly not all. But even before then, she had despised drugs. He had done a good enough job hiding his weed from her, but he knew that he probably couldn't hide any real drug use from her. She was too smart to be fooled by Derek.

His cellphone rang somewhere across the room, and Derek turned his head, his eyes squinting at the desk, where the phone lay. He rolled his eyes; why did people have to call him when he was busy, like this? He stood up, stumbling towards the desk clumsily. He collapsed into the computer chair, and grabbed the cellphone, flipping it open to see that it was Casey, calling from her cell. He groaned inwardly; him and Casey had been getting along wonderfully over the past few weeks. In fact, he would even go as far as to say that they were something of really good friends. As long as he wasn't insulting Max, or begging her to believe him about something, she was fine with him, and she treated him excellent. But right now, he was definitely not in the mood. He was tired, and although the weed was still calming him a little bit, he found himself feeling as though he wanted to be left alone, right now. But he knew he couldn't ignore her, so he flipped the phone open, sighing.

"Hello?" he greeted calmly, his voice mellow as he waited for Casey to respond.

"Pink or purple?"

He frowned, shaking his head as he closed his eyes, and rubbed his temple gently with his free hand. God, this girl made his head hurt.

"Come again?"

"Pink or purple?" she repeated, laughing. "I'm shopping for my prom dress."

Derek was glad that he'd just gotten his daily intake of sanity, because it would have hurt a whole lot more if he had been completely clean, and the words would have gone straight to his brain. Normally, he'd be acting slightly giddy after smoking a joint, but today, he was tired, and even the weed couldn't bring his energy levels up like it usually did.

"I don't know, Casey," he mumbled, frustrated. "Whatever color you want."

She groaned, frustrated with him, but he could tell that she was grinning.

"Come on, Derek," she begged him, sounding amused. "Pick a color."

"Surprise me."

"I need someone's opinion besides my mother's," she noted, sounding desperate now. "Besides, I need a boy's opinion. And Max isn't home to call, so-"

That was all it took to make Derek snap.

"I've got to go," he said, scowling. "I'm busy."

There was silence for a moment, and he waited for her to say something to him, something that would indicate whether or not she was going to let him go, or not. He was pretty sure he was going to lie down for awhile. His head hurt, and he was extremely tired. He hadn't been sleeping well lately.

"You're always busy, lately," she said, sounding hurt. "Whenever I try to talk to you, you tell me you're busy, or that you have to go somewhere. You spend so much time shut up in your room that I never see you. What do you do in there all the time?"

Derek stood up, crossing the room to lie on his bed. Looking up at the ceiling, he sighed and shrugged his shoulders uneccessarily.

"Isn't a guy allowed to have some privacy from time to time?" he questioned, hating that he had to lie to her. "I'm not doing anything wrong, Casey. Excuse me if I want some time alone, every now and then. Didn't know it was a crime to have a private life."

He knew then that he had said the wrong thing, for her silence proved that she was offended, and obviously taken aback by his harsh words.

"Jeez, Derek," she said, sounding like she was torn between being angry and hurt. "You don't have to be so freakin' snappy with me. I only asked you a simple question, and all I wanted was a decent answer. I wouldn't have called you if I had of known you were going to be such a jerk to me."

He frowned, frustrated. He wasn't trying to be a jerk to her. Casey was the last person in the world that he wanted to upset; everytime he hurt her he had always been able to apologize with a kiss, and a afew simple words. She had found him cute, when he was begging for mercy. But he knew his old tactics wouldn't work now; he couldn't very well kiss her, and he wasn't going to be able to pull off anything cutesy with Casey, now. He would have to make up for it the old fashioned way; actual apologizing. But he so wasn't in the mood for emotions right now, so he merely sighed, and stared up at his ceiling blankly.

"I'm not trying to be rude to you, and I'm sorry," he admitted truthfully. "But I don't want to talk right now, alright?"

There was a moment of silence, and he looked down at the phone, wondering if Casey had hung up on him. He wouldn't have been surprised, though it would have hurt to know she had done so. But just as he moved his ear away from the receiver, she spoke again, and he quickly pressed the speaker up to his ear again.

"You never want to talk, anymore," she said, sounding put out. "Sorry for trying. I guess you don't have time for your friends anymore, huh?"

Derek's heart dropped, and he cringed, feeling remorse shoot through him.

"Case," he started, but he heard her give a sad laugh on the other end, sounding as though she was fed up with him.

"It's cool; I understand."

Before he could even respond to her, there was a faint click, signalling that the phone call had ended, and he looked down to see that she had hung up on him. He winced, wishing that she hadn't done that, but he couldn't say he blamed her. Over the past few weeks, him and Casey had been developing a whole new bond. Ever since the night that they had watched the movie together, things had been fine between them. A little awkward maybe, from time to time, but mostly everything was amazing. It was never going to be as good as their relationship had been before, and Derek knew that, but being her friend was great. They were always talking, or hanging out, and she had gone as far as to say that she considered him to be one of her best friends. But within the past week or so, Casey had been rushing around like crazy, trying to organize everything, so that her prom night with Max could be perfect. And when he heard her talk about all of these prom plans, in which she would be going with another guy, well, it hurt. And Derek felt like she should know better than to be coming to him with her prom plans, when she knew full well that he was still in love with her, and was going crazy at the thought of Casey going to the prom with Max. He hadn't gone as far as to tell her this, though he knew he should, but he thought it should be obvious to her. And this week, he'd been smoking more than before, he had been shutting her out unintentionally, and he knew that she had noticed his obvious change of attitude. Casey was right, in a sense. He really was being a jerk.

"Dammit," he muttered to himself, feeling like the world's biggest asshole. "I'm sorry, Case."

She couldn't hear him of course, but he didn't really casre, at the moment. He pushed himself up off of his bed, and made his way into the hallway, and down over the stairs. Only Lizzie was downstairs, lying on the couch as she watched a re-run of some TV show. She looked tired, and she had a pink and white fleece throw draped across her stomach. Derek allowed himself to fall into his armchair as he nodded at Lizzie, forcing a tiny grin.

"Sup, Liz?"

She turned her head to look at her stepbrother, and she shruged, forcing a half smile.

"Nothin'," she noted, sounding distracted. "Watching some TV. Where's Casey?"

"Shopping for a prom dress," he said, failing as he tried not to sound bitter. "Your Mom took her."

Lizzie looked disappointed, and she looked down, frowning.

"Oh," she said, monotone, and Derek immediately noticed something was up. He made a point of sitting up straighter, and pulling his best concerned face.

"Is everything okay, Liz?"

She looked up into her stepbrother's eyes, and for the first time, Derek noticed that she looked vulnerable, and scared. She looked as though she had been worrying about something for a long time, and had not been able to find a way to voice her opinion.

"I'm worried about her," she admitted, her voice tiny and weak. "I don't want her going out with Max. There's something about him that I don't like. I saw how he treated her before."

Derek's eyes widened, and he was slightly taken aback as he struggled to realize what this meant. Could Lizzie have known about all of the abuse that Max had given Casey, before? He cleared his throat, trying his best to sound casual.

"When you say 'how he treated her', do you mean-"

"I know that he hit her," she said simply, and Derek was shocked as the fourteen year old continued with her story. "I was coming home from Jamie's one day, and there was nobody home but Casey and Max. They were upstairs in Casey's room, and I heard him yelling at her. I heard her crying, and then he apologized for hitting her. She said something about how he always said he never meant it, so I just assumed it had happened more than once. I tried to talk to her about it, but she wouldn't tell me anything. She said her relationship was fine, and then she told me to stop worrying about things so much... that I'm not supposed to be concerned about my big sister's problems."

Derek shook his head, surprised that Lizzie had known all along about her sister's horrible situation. He had never suspected that Lizzie, thirteen at the time, would have been able to spot the signs of Casey's abuse. He supposed that, if he could pick these things out, he should have known that her own little sister would be able to as well. But he dismissed the thought from his head; the point was not how Lizzie knew, it was the fact that she did know, and Derek wasn't completely alone here.

"You knew?" he said quietly, his voice still awed. "I thought it was only me. Nobody else really believes me about Max's abuse. Casey sure doesn't."

"I know," Lizzie said, and when Derek frowned, she went on, sighing. "She came to me after you told her, and asked me if it was true. I told her that it was, and she sort of got mad. She said that everybody was just sticking up for you, and that you're always trying to get your own way. She doesn't really believe that anymore, but I think she cares too much about Max to let anyone else's word come between them."

Derek tilted his head back, frustrated with the fact that Lizzie was completely right. Casey was blinded by her love for Max, and was therefore not going to see the worst in him, until he showed it. Derek was afraid of the day when that happened.

"I don't know how to convince her," he said, shaking his head. "And it's so god damn frustrating. I care about her more than I've ever cared for anyone, and to see her in the hands of that monster, it kills me. I just wonder how long it's going to be until he's hurting her again. I don't want her to have to go through anymore pain, you know?"

"Me neither," Lizzie whispered, sounding upset. "She's my big sister, and I love her alot. I don't want to think about anyone hurting her, and I want to see her happy. And she was... well, she was the happiest I've ever seen her when you guys were still together. She may think she's happy now, but she just doesn't know how happy she was before. She was always smiling, and she learned to relax, and... I think you were the best thing that ever happened to her. You changed her for the better. I always respected you for that. You balance her out, and she keeps you in line."

Derek was smiling faintly, because what Lizzie was saying was completely true. Him and Casey were total opposites, and because of that, they had been each other's balance. Derek had been able to relax Casey, and set her straight when she was getting her priorities out of line, and concentrating too much on helping everyone else. He had taught her to think of herself every now and then, and to say no to someone once in awhile. And Casey had done just as much good for him. She had definitely helped to get his grades up. He still slacked off during classtime, but he had started doing his homework (usually because she was also doing her work, and he would want to spend time with her), and he had studied with Casey enough to do well on his tests. Usually, he would learn all of his material by asking Casey all of her material, to ensure he was ready. And besides that, he had learned how to stay committed to one girl, and how to think about someone other than himself every once in awhile. Basically, she had taught him to care, and to have a heart; something he thought would never happen.

"Yeah," he agreed, his voice soft. "She kept me in line, that's for sure. She made me a better person."

Lizzie squinted at her stepbrother, watching as pain flickered through his eyes, and he bit his lip, looking away so that she couldn't see how much he was hurting. Recognition and realization dawned upon her, and she frowned, softening a little bit.

"Are you gonna be okay?" she asked him, sounding concerned. "I know you loved her, and everything..."

A soft laugh escaped Derek's lips, but it was hollow, and even someone who had no idea what he was going through would have been able to tell that this was not a happy man. This was the laughter of a man who had felt pain, who had been ripped to pieces by heartache. This was the laughter of a man who had really lived, and who had truly experienced life.

"I still love her," he said, shrugging his shoulders aimlessly. "I think I always will, you know? Casey's different. Before her, I was some arrogant player. And I may still be arrogant, but I know how to stay committed to a relationship now, and I know how to care about someone other than myself. Casey taught me all that. She changed me."

"I know she did," Lizzie said, shrugging. "But you're going to be okay, right?"

He wished that he could say that he would be just fine. He wanted with all of his heart to be able to tell Lizzie that he was going to get over Casey, and move on from her. He wanted to be able to say with full confidence that he would find another girl, one that he could love just as much as Casey. But he knew that this probably wasn't going to happen. Casey was his girl, the girl for him, even if he may have screwed that up for good.

"I don't know," he said honestly, sighing as he shrugged his shoulders. "I wish I could tell you I'd be fine, but this hurts, and it's not fading, I thought it'd get better, but it keeps getting worse, and everytime I see her, I just want to... I just..."

He trailed off, his voice cracking as he turned his head away from his younger stepsister, not wanting her to see him like this. He knew that she noticed his emotion, and she looked sympathetic as she shifted uncomfortably, shaking her head. Her and Derek didn't have much experience with deep conversations like this, and he knew that she was confused as to how to deal with her stepbrother. He hated showing his weaker side to anyone, so this was hard on him, too.

"Derek," Lizzie said, but he shook his head, pushing himself up off of the couch.

"It's fine," he assured her, though his tone of voice hinted otherwise. "Just... forget about it. I'll be okay. Don't tell Casey I made such a big deal about it; I don't want her to feel bad or anything."

"Are you sure you're okay?"

The front door swung open then, and Casey walked into the house, followed immediately by Nora and Marti, each of whom were weighed down with bags of clothes, accessories, and whatever else the girls had found that day. Casey didn't look up as she tossed her jacket onto the coat rack, and dropped her purse next to the rack.

"You really should've come with us, Liz," she said, and Derek could only assume she was either ignoring him, or had not noticed he was there. "They had the cutest hats into that little accessories place you like. I didn't know which color you'd like, but I knew you'd love the style, so I bought you a black one. It's in one of Marti's bags; I'll show you later."

Lizzie immediately forgot about whatever they had been talking about, and gasped as she jumped up, grinning from ear to ear.

"Thanks, Case," she said, rushing over to her younger stepsister. "Marti, open those bags up, would you?"

Marti scowled, but it wasn't even noticeable, for she was buried between bag after bag of the girl's belongings. Nora ushered both of the younger girls out into the kitchen with the bags, and as Casey looked up, she noticed Derek standing there awkwardly, his hands stuffed carelessly into his pockets as he watched her nervously, wondering whether or not she would choose to ignore him and storm off, or flip out at him. He didn't want them to be fighting, so he merely gave her a forced half smile, shifting uncomfortably.

"How was shopping?"

She gave him a disgusted glare, before turning on her heel, and storming off towards the stairs, two bags clasped tightly in her right hand. Derek watched as her long brown hair flew behind her, and he paled as his stomach turned. He could let her go, he knew, but then she'd be mad at him. And after everything they had been through, and all of the progress he had made with her, he couldn't stand to watch her turn away again. He moved forwards quickly, and before he could think clearly, he had grabbed onto her wrist, and pulled her back towards him. She turned abruptly, and only managed to come to a complete stop when they were chest to chest, his hand gripping her wrist as they stared straight into each other's eyes. Derek felt his chest tighten, and his breathing stop for a moment as he realized how close they were. His eyes widened, and he quickly dropped her wrist, taking a step away from her.

"Sorry," he muttered quickly, blushing. There was anger in his eyes, and he panicked, shaking his head. "I didn't mean to... to... I'm sorry."

She narrowed her eyes at him, and shook her head angrily as she backed up towards the steps.

"Just don't let it happen again."

He watched her run up the stairs, and he realized that his cheeks were a deep shade of red, as he was so embarassed by what had just happened. He waited until he heard the slamming of her bedroom door, before closing his eyes, and allowing himself to fall back against the wall, his head tilting back as far as it could go.

"Great," he muttered, angry with himself. "Just freakin' great. Way to make her hate you, Venturi."

- - - - -

Derek was lying in his room about an hour later, talking on the phone to Alyssa. She had called him to ask him to hang out, but truth be told, he was in no mood to go anywhere. He was now facing a long lecture about how he was letting his love for Casey destroy everything else in his life. Him and Alyssa had become good friends over the past few weeks, to the point that Derek had been able to trust her enough to tell her everything. She knew about Casey, and about how strongly Derek felt for her. And, although she understood his feelings, she was always the first to remind him that he couldn't let his whole life revolve around Casey.

"You're being ridiculous, Derek," she was saying, at the moment. "Everytime Casey so much as ignores you for an hour, you get sooky and mopey, and think you're the world's biggest asshole, when the truth is, girls are emotional creatures. We get mad way easier than guys do, and to be quite honest, you shouldn't take it too personally. She always forgives you, doesn't she?"

"Well, yeah," he admitted, shrugging as he folded one arm across his chest, using the other one to hold the phone to his ear. "She always forgives me, but that doesn't stop me from feeling bad about whatever it was I did that was so horrible."

"And what did you do this time?" she sighed, getting ready for another long story about how he had screwed something up.

"She says I'm ignoring her," he said, cringing. "And I hate to admit it, but she's right. We're good friends now, and I have been shutting her out alot more than I should be. There's no excuse for that."

"So why are you doing it?"

Derek tensed; he couldn't answer that. Alyssa had no idea that Derek and her brother knew each other so well. In fact, he wasn't even too sure if she knew that they were on speaking terms at all. She had formally introduced them a few days after Derek's first encounter with Matt, but neither of the boys spoke up about how often they really saw each other- for the purpose of Derek getting weed off of him. Derek understood now that weed wasn't really that big of a deal; it was probably the safest thing for him to be doing, as opposed to anything heavier- but he knew that Alyssa, like Casey, would not approve of it. Alyssa had often told Derek about how she resented her brother's drug use, and how much it had screwed up their family. But no matter how much she told him about the dangers of drugs, he was still tempted. He was proud of himself for only giving into the lesser of the dangers; weed.

"I don't know," he admitted, sighing. "Anyway, how's everything at your house?"

He knew instantly that she rolled her eyes, for she gave the accompanying sigh of frustration that told everything.

"Same as usual," she noted, sounding annoyed. "Matt's in trouble again because he got another speeding ticket, and if he gets one more, his liscense gets suspended. Dad's freaking out because he says we have enough time with transportation as it is. He was mad, so he yelled at Jeremy, and now Jeremy won't come out of his bedroom. My stepmother is locking herself upstairs and pretending like none of it is happening, and I've asked what time supper is about twenty times now, and nobody will answer me. If I ever eat in this house again, I'll be lucky. Oh, and on top of that, my brother owes a few guys some money, and they've been calling here all night to try and get ahold of him. We told them he's not home, because we know it's drug related again, but now they won't stop calling, and the dog barks everytime the phone rings, and then Dad gets even angrier, and-"

"Whoah, slow down," Derek said, pressing a hand to his forehead. "I get the point, Aly. It's hectic, yeah. But that's a pretty detailed plot summary you're giving me, and I can't even stay awake for a freakin' episode of Friends, let alone try and figure out what the hell you just told me."

She gave a frustrated groan, clearly annoyed with her friend.

"Don't you listen at all?" she questioned, and Derek smirked happily, moving his hand from his stomach to curl it behind his head lazily.

"Of course I do," he said happily. "Your brother got a speeding ticket, Dad's freaking out, Jeremy's gone emo, your stepmom is being a loner, and there's druggies raiding your phone line. Did I catch everything?"

There was silence for a moment, and Derek gave a smug smirk, knowing he had everything downpat, and she would be forced to admit it.

"In a... strange and... somewhat twisted way... yeah, you caught everything," she said, sounding distracted. "I don't even want to know how your brain works."

"Nope, you probably don't," he noted, shrugging his shoulders happily. "I don't know either, and I'm perfectly content, aren't I?"

There was a knock on his door, and he tilted his head slightly, frowning, before turning back to his phone call.

"I've gotta go," he said calmly, sighing. "There's someone knocking on my door. I'll see you tomorrow in school, alright?"

She quickly agreed, and he hung up the phone, calling out for whoever was at his door to come in. The door opened, and he placed his phone down on the endtable, sighing as he looked up into his doorway to see Casey entering his room. His breathing hitched in his throat, and he sat up a little bit straighter, trying not to get his hopes up too high; she could be here to yell at him some more.

"Um. hi," he said casually, unsure of what else he could say. "Can I help you?"

She closed the door behind her, and bit her lip as she took a few steps towards him, shrugging.

"Sorry for bitching out at you," she said, her voice slightly reluctant. "You were just trying to have some private time; I should have respected that."

Derek was going to comment on that, but he merely nodded, not wanting to cause another argument between them.

"Thank you," he said quietly, feeling relief shoot through him. He really didn't want to discuss the matter further, so he rushed on. "Did you get your dress?"

The awkward atmosphere was suddenly gone, and she brightened up, beaming as she nodded her head.

"Yeah, I did!" she exclaimed happily. "It's in my room. Want to see it? I could try it on and show you."

Derek's eyes widened, and he shook his head quickly, swallowing hard to fight back his emotion.

"N-No thanks," he said, and when she looked confused, he rushed on. "No offence, but it's sort of weird for me, because we were going to go to prom together, and it sort of hurts, knowing that we're not together anymore. It's hard for you to accept, but you know how I feel, and I don't really want to... I mean, I'm sure it's gorgeous, but..."

She shook her head, backing up towards his door.

"It's fine, Derek," she said, and he was relieved to hear that she sounded honest. "I'm not going to get mad at you over something so silly. I should've known it would be awkward for you, and... just forget about it, okay? I just wanted to come in here to apologize."

He nodded, relaxing as he lay back onto his bed again, gulping nervously.

"Okay," he managed to get out, his throat dry. "Apology accepted."

She smiled at him, and without another word, Casey stepped out of the room and closed the door behind her. Derek's sound system could be heard starting up inside his room, and she rolled her eyes as she kept her hand on the doorknob for a moment, listening to his loud music. She heard something shuffling next to her, and when she looked up, she jumped at the sight of Max standing at the top of the stairs, frowning at her. Her heart raced, and she took a step towards him, shaking her head.

"You scared me," she noted, trying her best to smile as she advanced towards him. "I didn't see you there. Did my mother let you up?"

"Yes," Max said, and Casey frowned at the cruelty in his voice as his eyes flashed red with anger, and he took a step towards her. "What were you doing in Derek's bedroom?"

She frowned up at him, the happiness wiping off of her face as she sensed that he was angry with her. She opened her mouth to respond, but nothing came out. She merely stared at him, unsure of what he expected her to say.

"I... I... well."

"Speak English," he snapped, glaring at her. "Tell me what you were doing in Derek's bedroom."

"M-Max, I..."

She knew he was mad, and she expected him to get even angrier with her. Hell, she even expected him to storm out on her, since he had a tendency of getting jealous, and making dramatic exits. But she certainly didn't expect what happened next. Before she could think straight, Max had grabbed her roughly by the upper arm, his eyes full of cruelty as he pushed her up against the wall angrily.

"_Answer me,_" he hissed, his face red with anger. "What the hell were you doing in his room? He's your ex-boyfriend."

Casey was shocked, absolutely shocked. Max had never used this sort of force with her before, and really, it was a new concept altogether for her. Nobody had ever treated her like this before.

"I... I was just showing him something, Max."

He looked uncertain, so she rushed on.

"I was going to show him my prom dress, but he didn't want to see it," she noted, shaking her head. "I've got it in my room, though. Do you... do you want to see it? I tried to pick out something you liked, since Iwe're going together, and all."

Max studied her carefully, and whether or not be bought her story about visiting Derek, she'd never know. But he dropped her arm as he stepped back from her, shaking his head with disgust.

"I don't wanna see any dresses," he said, shaking his head. "Wear whatever; I don't care. Now come on, we're going out."

Casey was absolutely taken aback by this new atittude. Max had never acted like this before. Why was he suddenly being so demanding, and rough with her? She wasn't too sure she liked this side of Max that much, but she figured that it was only temporary, and that he was having a bad day. But so was she, really, and she had actually planned on staying home tonight, and relaxing a little bit.

"Actually, Max... I was thinking of staying home tonight," she said honestly, shaking her head. "I hope that's not a problem."

His eyes flashed red again, and he glared suspiciously at his girlfriend.

"What, more quality time with Derek?"

She narrowed her own eyes, absolutely lost now.

"What is your problem today?" she asked, bewildered by this agressive Max. "You're all moody, and I don't know why. You're acting just like Derek says you used to act."

He looked like he wanted to yell at her for that, and she could tell that her words had not made him happy. But something like realization dawned on his features, and he softened suddenly, his eyes filling with affection as he stared down at her, brushing her hair from her face.

"I'm sorry, baby," he whispered, turning over a whole new leaf as he recognized that he was being a jerk. He wrapped his arms around her waist, and she tensed slightly, before relaxing into his hold, sighing.

"It's okay," she said, her voice quiet. "We all have our days. Just cheer up, okay?"

He nodded, kissing her forehead quickly as he pulled away.

"Go get ready," he said, nodding towards her door pointedly. "I'm taking you out for a bit."

Without another word, he was heading down the stairs again, and she was left wondering why he had been so agressive with her, just now. He had apologized, and she didn't intend on holding a grudge, but for a brief moment she had wondered if maybe Derek was right, maybe Max had been abusive. But the very thought left her feeling guilty for thinking so poorly over him, and so she forced the thought from her mind.

Max would never do anything like that, right?

* * *

**Review, and I'll update. Serious dose of Dasey in the next few chapters, if that motivates you. Sorry about the wait; I have alot of tests this week and next! I'm trying my best! Thanks for the patience. **


	16. Prom Night

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. **

**Chapter Sixteen: Prom Night**

Derek was sitting on his bed, his head tilted back against the wall casually. It was five thirty, and he knew that Casey must be in her room getting ready for prom. She'd look absolutely beautiful, he knew. He'd seen the dress that she'd picked out with her mother the week before, and it was gorgeous. It was pink and white, and it suited her perfectly. It would kill him to see her leaving for the prom with Max. It was supposed to be him. They'd agreed months ago to go together, and as much as he had denied it to Casey, he'd actually been excited for it. He pretended like it was just some stupid event in which he'd have to wear a tie, and comb his hair, but in all reality, the idea of showing her off to the whole school as his girl sort of excited him. He wanted everyone in the damn school to know that Casey McDonald, who in his opinion was the most amazing girl in their entire school- was his. Anyone else could back off, and find their own girl.

But she was Max's girl now, and as much as he hated that, he had to deal with the fact that she was going to be dancing with Max all night, not him.

He had just reached for a comic book on his endtable, when there was a knock on his bedroom door. It was soft at first, and he was almost convinced that it had been his ears decieving him. But when the person knocked again, he sighed, and sat up a little straighter.

"Come in," he groaned, not really in the mood to face anyone. "It's open."

His door opened up, and within a moment, Casey had stepped in. Derek's heart squeezed painfully when he saw her, all dressed up for prom. His breathing hitched in his throat as he looked her up and down, awed by her appearance. She was drop dead gorgeous. Her hair was falling past her shoulders in cute little ringlets, and her makeup wasn't overdone; it was just right. She had a few sparkles around her eyes, making them stand out, and he would've sworn under oath that she had never looked this amazing.

He barely realized that his fist had clenched subconciously around the bedsheet beneath him, but he uncurled it as she stepped into the room, closing the door gently.

"Hey," she said softly, offering him a tiny smile. "How does it look?"

She spun around once, and Derek squirmed slightly, gulping. Did she honestly expect him to say that she was anything short of sexy, amazing, and gorgeous? He found himself struggling to breathe as he tried to look away from her, finding that he couldn't. He wanted to kiss her so badly, right now.

"Y-You look... you look..."

He reminded himself that he had to hold onto his dignity, so he attempted to focus more on his words, not her body. He straightened up, nodding.

"You look gorgeous, Casey," he offered, sighing honestly. "Max will, uh... he'll love it."

Casey took another step forwards, her hands entwined behind her back casually as she bit her lip, shrugging innocently.

"Max isn't coming," she told him, causing his eyes to shoot up to meet with hers, surprised.

"What?" he asked, his eyes narrowing with anger. "Did the bastard bail on you? I swear, if he dumped you an hour before your own prom, I'll never let him forget it. I'll find him, and I'll-"

Derek's face was red with rage; no matter how much he hated Max, he didn't want Casey to get dumped right before her own prom. That wasn't right. Nobody hurt his girl, and got away with it. And he still considered her to be his girl. In his mind, she always would be, whether or not she ever remembered it all.

But much to his relief, and slight disappointment, Casey shook her head, trying to reassure him.

"Relax, okay?" she said, her voice slightly amused and surprised. "Max never dumped me. I just... I told him I couldn't go with him, that's all. I told him that I'd have to cancel on him tonight."

Derek was silent for a moment, unsure of what this meant, or what he could possibly say to answer her. He didn't know if this meant she had dumped Max completely, or if she had just blown him off for their date tonight. Judging by the fact that she was dressed like this, he knew that she had to still be going to prom.

"What do you, uh, what do you mean?" he asked, trying not to sound too hopeful. "I don't understand."

Casey moved forwards, sitting down on the edge of his bed. She tried not to sit too close to him, but her leg brushed against his knee anyway. She tried to ignore the look of momentary bliss on his face, as she rushed to answer him.

"You see, I was in my room getting ready, but something that my Mom told me kept running through my head, over and over, and I couldn't help but feel a little bit guilty."

Derek shifted uncomfortably, biting down on his lower lip gently.

"What did your Mom say to you?" he asked, not understanding where this was going.

Casey softened, and he gulped nervously when she reached out, placing her hand gently over his. His mind and heart were both racing at an incredible pace, and he could barely breathe. How couldn't she see the effect even her touch had on him?

"She told me that you weren't going to the prom, because of me," she noted, sighing. "She told me that me and you had plans to go, and that you'd even been excited about it."

Derek blushed a little, not wanting to admit to the fact that he'd been looking forward to going to prom with her. But he knew that she knew all of this already, and that there was no sense in pretending he hadn't been let down by the fact she was no longer going with him. So he nodded, shrugging his shoulders casually to indicate that this was true.

"Yeah, yeah I guess that's right," he offered, trying to avoid her gaze. "I mean, not excited, but... you know, sort of anticipating..."

He looked up into her doubtful eyes, and there was no use of lying. He forced a half smile, laughing sadly to himself.

"Yeah, I guess excited was the word for it," he admitted. "I mean, I just wanted to spend one of the most important days of high school with you... and show you off as my girlfriend, and-"

He trailed off, when he saw the completely oblivious look on her face. His gentle words meant nothing to her anymore, because she didn't love him back. She didn't even like him, like that anyways. She only held those feelings for Max, now.

"Never mind," he said, shaking his head angrily. "It doesn't matter, alright? I'll be fine. Go, have a good time. I'll be okay here."

Casey shook her head at him, sighing heavily. He didn't really understand what she was trying to get at here, and to be quite honest, her presence was too much for him. He could barely stand being in the same room with her anymore. Being within two feet of her actually made his heart break; it was much too painful. He couldn't believe he'd lost everything he had because of his one crucial mistake.

"I want you to take me to prom, Derek," she said, and he stared at her, blinking a couple of times. He wasn't sure whether to laugh, or hug her, or say something. He was absolutely speechless. He allowed happiness to flutter through him for a brief moment, but it quickly burned away into the ashes as a horrible thought struck him. This was a joke; this had to be a joke. Casey had spent her every moment since the accident making sure he knew that there would never be anything between them again, and now, out of nowhere, she wanted to go to prom with him? Something wasn't right.

"Stop fooling around, Casey, because it isn't funny," he said, glaring at her as he shook his head, returning his gaze to his magazine. "Now leave; you've got a prom to go to, remember?"

She didn't leave, and he kept his eyes on the magazine, silently begging her to leave. He was trying to hard not to let her sick little mind games affect him, but God, she was killing him here.

"I'm not kidding," she said, shaking her head. "I want you to take me to prom."

His hand clenched around the edges of his magazine, and he felt his face turn red with anger and frustration. How the hell did she even think he'd believe so much as a word of this bullshit?

"Casey, shut up, okay?" he hissed, willing his eyes not to look at her. "Just leave me alone, if all you're going to do is play with my emotions. Don't you think you've done enough damage, already?"

She gripped his wrist gently, and he nearly pulled away, because it hurt so much to have her touch him, and know it meant nothing to her. But he cherished her touch, so he merely gulped nervously, allowing his eyes to connect with hers for the first time in a few moments. He expected her eyes to be amused and disgusted at his stupid little crush on her, but he was surprised when he saw that she looked one hundred percent serious. He blinked a couple of times, unsure of what to say.

"Y-You're serious?" he asked, his voice shaking. She nodded, and he frowned, uncertain. "Why? What's the catch here?"

She uncurled her fingers from his wrist, placing both of her hands on her knees gently. She sighed, leaning forwards a little bit as she shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know. It's just that... when I thought of the prom, I pictured going with Max, and having a great time. I mean, prom is one of the biggest events of the year, in high school. And this is our last year to enjoy something like that-"

"-maybe," Derek put in, his mind flickering over to his own grades. She rolled her eyes, nodding in agreement.

"Maybe," she corrected, and went on as usual. "The point is, I don't think I can honestly go out and have a good time, if I know that you're sitting here all alone, miserable, because of me."

She was right, of course. He would be miserable, if he stayed here. His whole night would be spent in his room, thinking of how Max was probably dancing with Casey, kissing Casey, _touching_ her... God, it made him sick to even _think_ of thinking about it.

But he didn't want to make her feel bad, not at all, so he shook his head, his cheeks red with shame.

"It's fine, Case," he said, forcing out a sad smile. "I'm okay. I'll be happy enough here. I've got to learn how to stand on my own sometime, don't I?"

Her face was filled with genuine sympathy for once, and her hand came to rest on his again, squeezing gently.

"Everyone's going out tonight," she reminded him, and he squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. Did she think he didn't know that? "Our parents are taking the kids over to my aunt's house, all of our friends will be at the prom, and... well, I just don't want you here by yourself."

He was trying to think of something to say when she went on, blushing a little.

"Besides, when Mom told me how excited you were to go to prom with me this year, I dunno, I felt bad. I mean, you planned this night around me, and all of a sudden, I bail on you? That's not right. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I ruined something I already committed to. I told you I'd go with you, and I'm going to."

As much as Derek wanted to take her to prom, he didn't want her to feel like she had to do anything that she didn't really want to do. If her dream night consisted of going to the prom with Max, then who was he to take that away from her? Her dreams were more important to him than his own could ever be. Casey was all that mattered, tonight.

"Just go to the prom with Max," he said, cringing at his own words. "You... you love him, don't you?"

Casey stared at him for a moment, and for the briefest of seconds, he hoped that she may even say that he was wrong, and that she didn't love Max. But, of course, his luck was long gone. His luck had died in the car crash that had taken away Casey's love for him. And he had a feeling that neither of those things would be coming back anytime soon.

"Yes," Casey said, noding her head. "I love Max. And I know you say that it hurts when I tell you that, but I know that eventually, you'll move on, and find someone else."

Derek didn't even bother shaking his head to tell her she was wrong, but he was thinking it. She was one hundred percent, and completely wrong if she thought that he would move onto some other girl, just like that. What they had once shared could not be replaced that easily- for him, anyways. Everytime he saw another girl, and tried to picture himself with her, every single one of her features would stand out as flawed to him. Her hair wouldn't be quite brown enough, her eyees wouldn't have that curious little sparkle in them, she was just a tad bit taller than Casey, she didn't have that flare that always kept him on his feet, or she wouldn't say his name in the exact same way Casey did. And in the end, he would always come back to the same conclusion; that he could never love her like he loved Casey. His love for her was special, and it was something that he knew was only going to hit him once in a lifetime.

But Casey was happy with Max. And as much of an asshole as Derek knew Max was... he couldn't convince her of that. Who was he to interfere with her being truly happy?

"Whatever you say," he said quietly, not wanting to have to feel any worse than she already did. "You're... you're probably right, I guess. I mean, there's plenty of other girls... right?"

He couldn't even look her in the eye. There was an aching in his heart that words couldn't even begin to describe. He felt like Casey had literally ripped his heart from his chest, and stepped on it until there was nothing left. He felt like he had just rolled through shredded glass. He felt like he had just dove into a spikepit, from a high cliff. He felt like he never wanted to fall in love again, because it was too hard to let go. He knew that he wouldn't be able to go through this again. And the only way to prevent that was not to fall in love.

"It hurts, but I'll get over it," he lied, not wanting to make her feel bad. "But are you really serious about this whole prom thing?"

She nodded, no reluctance whatsoever in her voice.

"Abolutely serious," she said, and he was relieved to hear that she sounded honest. "I want you to take me to prom. I said I'd go with you months ago, and I have no right to go back on something so important."

"And Max?" Derek asked, not really caring about what that jerk thought. "Is he okay with this?"

She shrugged, her lower lip sticking out for a moment as she shook her head casually.

"He's not okay with it, really, but he understands," she informed him, sighing. "He's not real crazy about prom anyway; I think his main issue is jealousy. He seemed kinda happy when I told him I wasn't going to need him to go anymore. He said he could watch the football game with his Dad, now. And then I told him I was asking you, and he got sort of defensive, but said as long as it was innocent, he was fine with it. I think he knows how much this is hurting you."

Derek resisted the urge to fight, and he stood up, biting his lip.

"Are you sure?"

She laughed gently, pushing him towards his closet.

"I've answered that too many times now, superstar," she teased, grinning. "Go get your suit on. Your Dad said you got it ages ago."

He hesitated, before his face broke out into his first genuine smile in ages. He nodded his head eagerly, gulping as he backed up towards his closet, absolutely shocked.

"Yeah, okay," he agreed, trying not to sound too excited. "Prom... me and you... alright. I'll... just... give me a half an hour. I'll be quick."

She smiled at him, and turned to leave as he grabbed his tuxedo out of the closet, unable to wipe the stupid grin off of his face. He couldn't believe that he was going to prom with Casey. An hour ago, he had been moping as he pictured Max getting to take Casey to prom. This meant the world to him, whether Casey was aware of that or not.

He grasped the jacket of his tux, and as he did, he felt a slight bump in the pocket. He frowned, before reaching his hand into the space, and pulling out a little blue velvet box, which he had put in there months ago. His breathing hitched in his throat, and his stomach clenched as he ran his finger along the edge of it, sadness running through him. He pushed the top half of the box open, sighing as he caught sight of the promise ring that he'd bought for Casey months ago, which he had been planning on giving her tonight. It had been a promise of what he wanted from the future- of who he wanted to be with, even after prom and high school were done with. They were still too young for an enagement, but Derek knew that he would have eventually taken that step, and her promise ring could have been replaced by an engagement one.

He closed the box, and crossed the room, stowing it on the top shelf of his bookcase, behind a stack of old comic books. He frowned as he glanced back down at his jacket, his spirits slightly let down. He wasn't going to be needing that ring, anymore. Casey wasn't going to be his, again.

* * *

**So yeah, this chapter was short, but a filler, and necessary to go on. The next chapter will be the actual prom itself, so review, and I'll post again. It's already halfway done, so it shouldn't take too long. **


	17. A Special Night

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. **

**Chapter Seventeen: A Special Night**

Derek had somehow forced his way through all of the pictures that their parents had insisted on taking before they left. They'd wanted about a hundred pictures of Derek and Casey all dressed up, ready to go to their senior prom. Derek had pretended like it had been a nuisance, to have to stand through all of these pictures, but to tell the truth, being able to put his arm around Casey, and hold her in his arms for the duration of each picture, was absolute bliss. He hadn't felt that complete since the accident. He had a feeling that his father knew that, for he always stalled in taking the pictures, requesting that they just hold their pose while he fixed something. Derek would take these moments to just imagine like everything was fine again. He'd pretend that there had been no accident, and him and Casey were really going to prom because she loved him, and was his girlfriend.

But eventually, the pictures were over, and they found themselves in the limo with Emily and Sheldon, along with Sam, and his date Krista. Ralph and his date were there as well. There were two or three other people that Derek didn't know, but were apparantly friends of Krista's. Their dates were there too, so it was a pretty crowded limo. Derek had purposely gone into the far back corner, where there was a bit of a smaller seating area, the lights dimmer. Everyone else was sitting further up, and Derek kept shooting them all nervous glances, before looking down at his hands again. Casey seemed to notice that he wasn't talking. Finally, she decided to voice her concerns, and she shifted closer to him, straightening up.

"What's wrong?" she asked him, placing her hand over his softly. "You seem really distracted, or something. Don't you want to go up and sit with your friends?"

Derek shook his head quickly, his eyes fixed on the floor.

"No," he told her honestly, not looking up. "I want to sit back here with you. I mean, unless you want to go up there..."

"No, no," she assured him, actually being honest about this. "I don't mind sitting back here with you. But I mean... you haven't said a word to me since we left the house."

Derek looked up at her, wincing. This was true. He had been too nervous to even think of saying something to her. He'd tried, but everytime he even attempted speaking, he'd freeze up. He just didn't want to screw up anything with her tonight. Casey was sacrificing her dream night for his, and he wanted to make the night as close to amazing as he could, for her. He knew that he'd never be the guy she had wanted to come here with, but hell, he could try as hard as he could, right?

"I know I haven't been talking," he said, his voice apologetic. "And I'm sorry about that. I just... I don't know what to say to you. Everytime I try to talk, nothing comes out. I just... I don't want to screw this night up, Casey. This is probably the only night that I can have you to myself, and I want to make it count."

She smiled softly at him, shaking her head.

"You're not going to make it count by staying quiet all night, are you?" she pointed out, and his eyes locked with hers as he frowned, recognizing that she was right. She seemed to realize that she had gotten to him when she caught sight of the tiny smile growing on his lips, and she laughed, grabbing onto his hand.

"Come on, this is gonna be fun," she tried to tell him, nodding. "It's my prom night, and who better to go with than one of my best friends?"

If there had been any hint of a smile on Derek's face before, it was gone within half a second. His face darkened, and he cringed as he looked down at the floor again, angry with Casey for being so clueless. Didn't she realize what that sort of statement did to him? Didn't she know she was killing him?

She seemed to recognize her mistake, and she mentally slapped herself as she shook her head, biting her lip gently.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly, trying to make him feel better. "I didn't mean that to come out like it did."

"It came out like the truth," he said sadly, shaking his head. "I mean, me and you... we're over. You're only going to ever see me as a friend, or a stepbrother. And I can't do anything about it, because I can't make you see what a jerk Max was to you before."

Casey tensed slightly, her eyes narrowing.

"I wish you'd stop calling him a jerk," she said, the slightest hint of anger in her voice. "Max is my boyfriend, Derek. I don't like hearing you trash talk each other. Max has gotten over whatever rivalry you two had before, why can't you?"

Derek looked her in the eye, cringing. It was times like this that he just wanted to scream out in frustration, to take her, and just _make_ her remember. The memories were there somewhere in her head, and all she had to do was find them. He needed her to remember all of the bad things that Max had put her through, so that she could realize that the guy she was with... he didn't really love her. He loved power, and he loved getting under Derek's skin like this. But Casey was blinded by her inability to remember their past, and because of that, she couldn't remember falling for Derek, or loving him.

He turned his head away, swallowing back the lump that was forming in the back of his throat. His eyes narrowed as he stared at the other cars passing them by, and Casey squeezed his hand gently, sensing his pain.

"Derek," she tried, but he ignored her, pretending like he hadn't heard her speak. She tried again; "Derek?"

He still didn't answer. He knew that if he said anything, she would hear the tears that he was struggling to keep back. He had promised himself not to get worked up over anything tonight; tonight was special, for the both of them. But as hard as he tried to be happy, the thought that he was practically nothing to her kept coming back to haunt him, and it was such a painful reality to face.

Casey bit her lip, tilting her head slightly as she struggled for the right words to say.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly, and she felt him tense slightly, unsure of what she meant. "I wish I could believe you when you tell me all of this stuff about Max, but I just can't. He's such a sweet guy, Derek. Maybe if you got to know him a little bit better."

"I know him a hell of alot better than you do," he muttered, his eyes darkened as he continued to stare out the window. "Go down to the police station and check out their records. Me and Max have lots of history together. His file is a little bit bigger than mine though, you know. That's just because I don't have accusations of abuse and rape on my files, though. But whatever; I'm sure Max is a real winner."

She shook her head, staring down at her feet casually.

"I wish I could believe you," she said, sounding like she felt bad for her stepbrother. "But you claim you're in love with me, and I mean... what if this is all just something you're doing to get me back?"

His head turned abruptly, and his hair fell over his surprised eyes as he stared at her in absolute shock and anger. She looked up to meet his gaze, searching for his reaction, and it was obvious by the look in his eyes that this was not some sort of prank that he was playing on her, to win her back.

"Is that what you think?" he asked, his voice offended. She remained silent, biting her lip, and he shook his head, his eyes angry. "Do you know how that makes me feel, Casey? Is that all you think of me as? Some sort of liar, who wants to hurt you just so I can have some revenge over that jerk? Sorry Casey, but that's his job, not mine."

"I didn't mean that," she said quickly, blushing. "I meant that... well, I guess that was sort of what I meant, but I don't believe that. I know you're a good guy, and I know you wouldn't lie to me."

Derek snapped then. This girl made absolutely no sense!

"Do you even hear yourself, Casey?" he asked, his voice disgusted. "You trust me, and you tell me you know I'd never lie to you, but yet you can't believe me when I tell you what your idiot of a boyfriend has done to you, in the past. Take it from someone who was there, Casey. Take it from someone who took a good few punches for you, and who had a criminal record opened up on them for protecting you."

She blushed, looking away.

"I'm sorry," she said, feeling bad about this, but he shook his head, not even bothered by it.

"Don't be," he said, telling the absolute truth. "I didn't care about the consqeuences. I just cared about protecting you. But I do care when someone tells me they trust me, and then completely disregard everything I'm trying to tell them."

"It's complicated," she informed him, shrugging. "It's not an easy thing to accept, thinking that the guy I love actually hurt me. And he's not doing anything to hurt me right now. I'm the sort of person who trusts until I'm proven wrong."

He fell silent. There would be no persuading her that Max was the bad guy in all of this. She just didn't believe him. And until Max did something stupid, which- if he was smart- he would avoid doing, Derek was out of luck. But lucky for him, Max wasn't a smart guy; he was an idiot. And that was all that was keeping Derek going, was that slightl glimpse of hope for vindication and justice.

"Just forget it," he said, turning his head again so he could look out the window. "You don't understand."

She placed her hand over his again, nodding.

"I'm trying to understand. Do you think I don't know that you're hurting? Is that it? Because I know full well how much you've been hurting in this past month or so. And I hate that I'm causing you all this pain, but try to understand that I never tried to hurt you, and my last intention was to make you feel like this. You're a great guy; you really are."

He remained speechless, biting his lip as he continued to stare at the cars that were driving by the limo.

"Derek?" she questioned, and before he could say anything, Sam had appeared from out of nowhere, and was grinning at Derek.

"Dude, Ralph's gonna try and see how many high-fives he can get while we're driving," he exclaimed, clearly excited. Derek brightened, and Casey frowned, raising an eyebrow in obvious disapproval.

"And does Ralph realize that he's going to get us kicked out of the limo if he's hanging out the window, smacking passerbyers?"

Sam and Derek glared at her, though they were obviously just taken aback, not angry.

"He's not smacking anyone," Sam shrugged, as though it were obvious. "A high five is a willing act, Case. And he can't kick us out of this thing; we're paying, aren't we?"

Casey rolled her eyes, folding her arms across her chest as she turned away, sighing, and when Derek's eyes softened slightly, Sam looked back and forth between the two of them, panicking. Shaking his bhead at his best friend, his eyes widened.

"No, dude," he said, as though he knew exactly what Derek was about to do. "Don't you dare go whipped on me now. I had enough of that crap when you two went out."

Derek shrugged, glancing over at Casey pointedly. As much as counting high fives from pedestrians sounded fun to him, he could do that anyday. This was his one night with Casey, and he knew that it could be the last night that he had her under these circumstances. He wanted to make the most of every moment. No matter how tempting the high-fives were sounding.

"Sorry, dude," he said, shaking his head. "I'm sort of talking to Case right now. Maybe in a little bit."

Sam's mouth hung open, and a tiny smile appeared on Casey's lips as she watched the other boy give Derek a surprised and weird look, backing up towards the front of the vehicle again. He muttered something to Ralph, and Derek glanced over his shoulder, shaking his head. He didn't even notice that Casey was giving him a surprised look. When he turned his gaze back to the floor, he sighed, and she shook her head at him, smiling gently.

"Derek, that was really sweet," she said quietly, her eyes slightly wider than usual. "You didn't have to stay back here and talk to me. If you wanted to go up with your friends, I would've let you. It's not a big deal."

He shook his head, managing a tiny smile.

"Like you said, I should make it count," he said, shrugging. "If this is the last night I get to have you to myself like this, I want it to count. I can do stupid stuff with Ralph and Sam anytime. I want to spend time with you tonight."

By the time they got to the school for the prom, Derek was nervous again. His hands were clammy, something he had always despised on a date. He never usually had this problem; he was Derek Venturi, the guy who supposedly never got nervous around girls, and always knew just how to make a move. But this was one girl that he wasn't sure how to deal with, today anyway. He had known before, when it had been his Casey. But now, this was a whole new version of her, and he had to be careful with what he did and said around her. They weren't together anymore, so he knew that he couldn't push the boundries of their friendship, and he couldn't take advantage of the fact that they were at prom together.

Everyone looked great; Derek found himself in awe as he watched people he had been in school since kindergarten, and pre-school, walking around without a wrinkle in their perfectly formal clothing. It amazed him to see how much they had all changed since they were little kids. And Casey, when he looked at her, he was just shocked by her beauty, and by the fact that he was here with her.

"Doesn't everyone look amazing?" Casey breathed out, admiring everyone's dresses and suits.

Derek's eyes fell on her, and he felt the words slip through his lips before he could even think about them.

"_You _look amazing."

She turned her head quickly, to look at him, and he shrugged absent-mindedly, his hands in his pockets.

"You're beautiful."

She blushed, and nodded her head, smiling slightly.

"Thank you," she said, and her hand brushed against his shoulder gently as she examined Derek's own appearance. "You actually look pretty good yourself. You combed your hair, I noticed."

He grinned sheepishly, running a hand through his hair, which was still somehow messy, even after he had combed it.

"Well, I tried," he noted, laughing. "But it didn't work too well."

"It looks great," she said quietly, smiling at him as she patted his shoulder, causing him to gulp nervously. "Where did you get the suit?"

They walked casually across the room, and Derek was sure to keep his hands in his pockets, for fear of not being able to hold back from touching her; she looked so amazing.

"Me and you picked it out about a month before the accident," he said, shrugging. "You were looking to get ready for prom early, I guess. We shopped for your dress too, but we never found the right one. But that one... it looks great on you. I love it."

"Thanks," she said, finding this just as awkward as him. Only then did they notice people pairing off around them, starting to dance to the beat of the music. Derek glanced around awkwardly as Casey raised an eyebrow at him, probably expecting him to ask her to dance. He cleared his throat, trying to gather up the nerve, but he couldn't do it. He was scared that she'd say no, or that he would mess up. Hell, he was even scared that he would make too much of a move on her.

"Let's just... um, go on over and get something to drink, okay?" he said, shrugging his shoulders.

She looked confused, but she sighed as she turned to follow him over to the table, where they could get a drink. Derek handed Casey a glass of punch, clutching his own nervously in his hand. He was nervous, and he hated it. He wasn't supposed to be nervous around girls, and he definitely wasn't supposed to be nervous with Casey. She had been his girlfriend for almost a year; why should she make him nervous now? He knew the answer to that, of course, but he didn't want to face it. He was terrified of messing up with her, which was basically why he was refraining from asking her to dance. Only Casey could do this to him.

But after four songs of standing around the table, making pointless and awkward conversation, Casey sighed, and placed her empty cup down on the table next to her.

"Are you going to ask me to dance?" she questioned, sighing. "-or are we just going to stand here all night?"

He bit his lip, cringing.

"I didn't think you'd want to," he admitted, shrugging. "Everything I've done so far has been wrong..."

"This is a prom, Derek," she reminded him, laughing gently as she shook her head. "I asked you to come here so that you could have the night we were supposed to have. Now tell me, was this how you imagined tonight going, when we were together?"

He blushed, shaking his head as he shuffled his feet nervously.

"No, I guess it's not," he admitted, sighing. "I probably would've asked you to dance the minute we got here. But things are different now. You're with Max, and everytime I so much as look at you the wrong way, you-"

She shook her head, her hand finding his, and clutching it to shut him up.

"Tonight is different," she told him, smiling softly. "Tonight, I'm here to dance with you. So if you want to dance with me, you can. Tonight, I'm making an exception."

He bit his lip, uncertain, and he fixed her with a hopeful glance.

"Are you sure?" he questioned, and she nodded her head, smiling up at him.

"I'm positive," he said, and he felt relief flood through him as he gripped her hand a little tighter, still nervous. "Now come on. Let's go dance."

At first, Derek's dancing was uncertain and nervous. Hed never been the best dancer as it was, but he knew enough to blend in with the crowd. But for the first twenty minutes, his dancing was awkward and nervous, uncertain and shaky. He kept stumbling over his own feet, or becoming so wrapped up in making sure that he wasn't screwing up, that he'd screw up anyway. Casey laughed it off each time, assuring him it was okay, and for some reason, he believed her. But when he nearly fell for the fifth time, she stopped dancing, and gripped his chin gently. For a brief moment, he thought she was going to tell him she couldn't put up with this, and that she was going to leave. He didn't want that. He would probably die of the embarassment. But she merely looked him straight in the eye, the tiniest hint of a smile on her face.

"Relax," she told him, smiling. "You're nervous, I can tell, but you shouldn't be. We've known each other for like, two or three years. I shouldn't make you nervous."

"But you do," Derek said, taking a step away, so that her hand fell to her side again. "You never did before... but the circumstances are different, now. You don't even understand how much my life has revolved around you in the past year. And then you just expected me to just... live for myself. I hadn't done that in such a long time. You just left me completely broken, and I have no idea how to pick up the pieces. You can't even begin to imagine what it's like to lose the person who hasn't so much as left your side in months."

Her eyes were slightly wide as she gave him a surprised look, biting her lip.

"Derek, I'm... I'm sorry. This hasn't been easy on me either. I'm trying to deal with everything, and you can't imagine how bad I feel when people come up to me, and I have no idea who they are. I see their faces fall, and I feel horrible for causing everyone pain. Especially you. I see you hurting everyday, and I... I care. I don't know why; I guess because we've become good friends, but I really care. It makes me feel horrible everytime I see you so upset. I told Max how I feel about all of this, and he tells me not to care about you, but I do."

Derek's spirits lifted, and hope flickered through his eyes quickly.

"You... you care about me?" he questioned, his heart clenching. "I sort of thought you were just being nice to me because you felt like you had to. I sort of figured the same thing about tonight. I mean, isn't this just a pity date? Something you feel obliged to do?"

She frowned, shaking her head as she took another step towards him.

"Is that what you think?" she asked, sounding surprised. When he didnt answer, she raised an eyebrow, looking shocked. "Derek, you've never been so wrong. That's not what this is about at all. I'm nice to you because you've been a good friend to me throughout all of this, and I can tell you've changed into a good person since last year. And this isn't a pity date; far from it. I wouldn't have come here with you if I didn't want to."

"You're with Max."

She nodded at his blunt words, shrugging her shoulders carelessly.

"Yeah, I'm with Max," she said, watching as he winced at her. "And I do love him. But you're special to me too, alright? We've become really good friends."

"So this is just a friendly date?" he questioned, hurt. "Either way, I'm losing?"

She sighed, looking thoughtful as she struggled to come up with the right words.

"It's not a pity date, and I wouldn't exactly say you're losing," she said, shrugging. "It's not a competition, okay? Yes, me and you are just friends, and tonight doesn't mean that I like you, like that. But I'm willing to act the part for tonight, to give you the night you would've liked."

He shook his head, his heart beating rapidly.

"You can't fake love, Casey," he said, shrugging. "Although Max is getting pretty good at it."

Her eyes flickered with anger and hurt, and he cringed, his eyes falling shut for a moment. He hadn't meant for it to come out like that. He shook his head as he sensed some sort of invisible wall between them rebuild itself. Her eyes darkened, and she suddenly seemed cold towards him.

"Don't say things like that to me," she said, her voice dangerously low. "I'm willing to put up with alot from you, but we aren't going back to this whole Max thing again. It's over and done with, so I'm not letting you trash talk the guy I love all night."

Derek's jaw clenched, but he fell silent, turning his head away from her angrily. She sensed this, and decided to go ahead and drop the subject, before they wound up fighting again. She sighed, shaking her head.

"Forget it," she said, sounding defeated. "Now, do you want to dance, or not?"

"Yeah," he said, but the second he stepped towards her, a slow song came on, and he found himself backing away from her, shaking his head. "I mean, after this one, you know..."

"Why?" she questioned, stepping towards him. "Is the famous Derek Venturi afraid to slow dance with a girl?"

"No," he said quickly, shaking his head. "But... Casey, are you sure about all of this? If Max found out..."

"Max already knows," she said, her voice confident. "He asked me what going to prom with you would mean, and I told him I intended on dancing with you. He may not have been crazy about the idea, but he's accepted it. I told him to try and put himself in your position, and he said he guessed that he can understand how much this is going to mean to you. He said as long as it's innocent... he's fine with it, for one night."

Derek eyed her nervously, still uncertain. The thought of an angry Max was plastered into his mind, and he had to wonder if Max would change his mind, and make Casey pay for this later. But he knew that the jerk was just going to suck it up and pretend to be an understanding and caring man, for Casey's sake, so he decided he could just make the best of what she was offering him.

So he nodded, brown strands of hair falling in front of his eyes as he took a step forward, and placed his hands carefully on her waist, putting a good bit of distance between them. She wrapped her arms around his neck, smiling as he shifted a bit closer to him, causing his body to stiffen nervously.

"You're tense," she said, her voice gentle. "What did I tell you a minute ago?"

"Relax, right," he said shakily, avoiding eye contact. "I can do that."

His arms wrapped around her waist this time, and he pulled her even closer, until their chests were pressed tighter together. All eyes were on them tonight, for everyone in the entire school knew that Casey McDonald and Derek Venturi had broken up ages ago. They were all watching with hungry eyes as the school's old power couple danced together, causing rumors to circulate the room.

"Everyone's watching us," Derek said quietly, as they moved slowly to the beat of the music. "They probably think we're together again."

"They're just rumors," she mumbled, shrugging. "They'll have something new to talk about next week. Don't worry about it; try to ignore them."

He nodded, resting his chin on top of her head. He closed his eyes for a moment, and let this feeling sink into his soul. He was holding Casey, he was dancing with Casey. He was on a date with Casey. Sure, it was a one time thing, and sure, it really meant absolutely nothing to her... but it meant the world to him. He felt like he had the whole entire world in his arms, and he never wanted to let go again. He could spend hours, even days, just holding her like this, and he wouldn't get sick of it. Because this was the best feeling in the world. He felt safe, he felt protected from everything around him, and he felt like he could keep Casey from any harm. He loved her; and if it were up to him, she'd never have to be in that monster's arms again. He was terrified of Max hurting Casey, but he knew it could be a possibility.

"You mean the world to me," he whispered to her, his lips moving down to brush lightly against her ear. "I want you to know that. I'm always going to love you."

He felt her body stiffen slightly, but he held her tighter, so she couldn't pull away.

"Derek," she whispered cautiously, shaking her head, but he cut her off.

"I'm not trying to pressure you again... I just wanted to let you know," he assured her, and she relaxed against him. "I love you so much, Casey."

She moved to pull back and look at him, but he clutched her body tighter to his, shaking his head urgently.

"No, let me finish," he said, and reluctantly, she raised her head to look into his eyes, but kept her body relaxed against his. "You were the first girl I fell in love with, for real. You completely changed me, Casey. And despite what you say, I feel like I'm a burden to you, or something. But you hold first place in my heart... and I think you always will. So... even if this night is just innocent to you... you can't even begin to imagine how much this means to me. It's... I... thank you... so much."

He buried his face against the side of her head, and he felt her hug him tighter, as she whispered into his ear;

"You're welcome."

He couldn't speak as he closed his eyes, wanting to capture this feeling in his mind, so that he could replay this forever, even after this night was over.

"You're going to find a girl, Derek," she said quietly, as she ran her fingers through the hair on the back of his head. "And you want to know something? You're going to make her so, so happy. You can be the perfect boyfriend to just about anyone, but it can't be me."

"I wish it could be," he murmered sadly, never lifting his head away from her hair. "I wish so badly that you still loved me, and that this night meant this much to you, too."

"I know you do," she replied, nodding. "And for tonight, I'm willing to give you whatever you want. You've been really supportive of me in the past few months. If it weren't for you, I'd be repeating grade eleven, and that was a nightmare for me. You stopped all those people from asking too many questions, when I came back... and you've just been so great to me, I feel like it's time I give back, a little. I want to give you the night of your dreams."

"Well, the night of my dreams would be be knowing that you love me, and being able to kiss you without any questioning, but... you know..."

Casey pulled back slightly, and Derek tensed, worrying that whatever he had just said had somehow gotten her angry. He bit his lip as he watched her look right into his eyes, her gaze serious.

"What?" he questioned anxiously. "What did I say?"

"You want to kiss me?" she asked him, and he remained silent as she kept her arms around his neck, raising her eyebrows. "Answer me, Derek; I won't get mad."

When he still didn't say anything, she sighed, pulling him closer so that they were looking right into each other's eyes.

"Do you?"

He watched her nervously; this had to be a trick. But she wanted an answer, and he wanted to be honest with her, so he nodded his head, shrugging absent-mindedly.

"Yeah, yeah I do," he admitted shamelessly. "I've wanted to kiss you every single day since the accident."

She shrugged, and there was silence between them for a moment, before she broke it.

"Then kiss me."

He stopped dancing, and he stared at her, his eyes wide with disbelief, and his heart hammering madly in his chest.

"You want me to... what?" he choked out, his voice cracking. "I... you know that I can't..."

"Can't what?" she asked, shrugging. "If I was still your girlfriend, you would've done it long ago, right? If that's what your dream night would've been..."

"It's wrong," he whispered, shaking his head. "You're with Max."

"Yes, I am," she said, nodding. "And I can tell you right now that me kissing you won't mean anything to me, because I love him. But I know that it would make you so happy, and for your sake-"

"I don't want pity, Case," he said, shaking his head. "You don't want to kiss me."

"I want you to be happy," she said, shrugging. "I don't mean go crazy with it. It'll only be once, and like I said, to me... it won't mean anything. But maybe it can help you feel like tonight is real, or..."

"I don't know," he said, as he shook his head. "I don't want to force you into doing anything like that. Besides, if Max found out, he'd be so mad."

"How is he going to find out?" she asked, shaking her head. "They've stopped staring at us, Derek. It's dark in here. It'll be a one time thing, and then, it'll be over with. I know you want to, and I knwo you think it's wrong, but I'm leaving it up to you. So if you want to kiss me..."

"Are you sure?"

Her eyes looked up into his, and although he couldn't find a hint of affection in them, his heart leapt with happiness at the honesty there when she nodded her head.

"Positive," she said, her voice quiet. "Just once, though. And Max can't find out."

He nodded, and he drew in a deep breath as he tried to gather his courage. He leaned in closer to her, his heart beating wildly in his chest. He waited for her to pull back, and tell him to forget it, that this was just too weird for her. He waited for her to change his mind. He was even waiting for her to tell him she was kidding. But she just watched him as he stopped right in front of her lips, looking uncertain. He waited, for anything to happen that would interrupt this for him, but when nothing did, he took a deep breath, and lowered his lips onto hers.

The connection between them clicked immediately, and he felt warmth flood through him; this was home. This was where he belonged, where he would always belong; with Casey. He held onto her tighter, and he moved his lips against hers, not even paying attention to whether or not she was even kissing him back. All that mattered was that he was kissing Casey. He could feel his heart soaring with happiness as he tried to pour every bit of love that he held for her into the kiss, wanting her to feel how much he was in love with her. He wished that, if he were to put enough of his love into this kiss, she might feel it too, if only for a moment. He wanted nothing more than for her to suddenly remember, for his kiss to kick start one of those miracles in which she would suddenly love him too, and they would have their happily ever after ending.

But when he finally pulled back, only for lack of air, he saw that her eyes were nothing more than surprised at his display of obvious emotion. He knew that she saw the tears in his eyes as he struggled for air, his chest rising and falling quickly as he breathed in and out.

"Derek," she breathed out slowly, her voice surprised, but he shook his head, hugging her to him.

"Don't say anything," he whispered to her, kissing the side of her head. "Don't ruin this for me, please."

So she fell silent, and although the song changed to a fast, upbeat song, and the people around them started dancing again, Derek didn't pull away for a few moments. In fact, he wasn't even aware of anything going on around him. Because, for a moment, he felt happy. And that was something that he hadn't felt in such a long time. And, so long as Casey was still with Max, it wasn't something he anticipated feeling again anytime soon.

* * *

**So yes, Casey just technically cheated on Max, but honestly, right now, she is worried about Derek, even if she hasn't mentioned anything to him. No, there is no miracle in the next chapter in which she claims she felt something when they kissed. It was something she did for Derek's sake, to give him something he hasn't felt in a long time; happiness. Hey, at least she was willing to make the sacrifice. **


	18. To Move On

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter Eighteen: To Move On**

Prom night was the first night since the accident that Derek had fallen asleep with a smile on his face. The memory of having Casey so close to him, of holding her in his arms, it was so fresh in his mind that his lips would automatically curve into a smile everytime he thought about it. Even if Casey was probably happy to have the night over with, he knew that she could never fully understand how grateful he was for that night. She would never comprehend how much going to prom with her had meant to him, and how it would always be fresh in his memory, for what he felt would be the rest of his life. He had no idea how to thank her for something so special, but he wanted to try.

The next day at school, he was searching the hallways for her, wanting to thank her for the night before. She had left the house before him that morning, so he hadn't gotten the chance to talk to her then, and he hadn't shared his first two classes with her. But now it was their fifteen minute break, and he felt it was the perfect oppurtunity to talk to her. He wandered down the hallway where her locker was located, but instead of finding Casey, he found himself bumping right into Alyssa. She stumbled backwards slightly, but Derek reached out and pulled her up, laughing gently.

"Sorry, Aly," he said, and she raised her eyebrows, her eyes widening at the smile on his face.

"You're happy," she noted, shaking her head. "Why are you happy; not that I'm complaining?"

Derek straightened up, adjusting the strap of his bookbag as they made their way slowly down the hallway, Alyssa still glancing over with surprise at the smile on her friend's face.

"I went to prom last night," Derek said, unable to wipe the smile off his face. "With Casey."

She nearly choked over the granola bar she was currently eating, and her eyes widened as she fixed him with a look of disbelief, absolutely stunned.

"You went with... how did you manage that one? Did you like... pay someone to kill Max, or something?"

"Nope; I can do that myself," he said, and when she looked worried, he shook his head, laughing. "I'm joking, but no. Casey told Max that she wanted to go with me instead, since she had already promised me to go. She said that she wanted me to have the perfect prom night, since she's been causing me so much pain lately; not like it's her fault."

The smile on Alyssa's face quickly faded, and she looked worried as she fixed him with a curious, and nervous stare.

"I... I don't want to sound mean, or ruin this rare good mood of yours... but that sounds sort of like a pity date, to me," she said, and Derek frowned as she went on. "I mean, I don't want to be mean to you or anything, but by the way you're describing it, it sounds like she just feels bad, and-"

"Stop," Derek said, his eyes narrowed angrily at her. "It's not a pity date, she told me so. She said that she thinks I'm a good person, and that she wants to do something nice for me, since I've been there for her ever since the accident. She told me that I've helped her alot with getting everything back under control, and she wanted to repay the favour. It _wasn't _a pity date."

As they reached Alyssa's locker, and she stopped, he turned so that he was walking backwards, shaking his head angrily at her.

"But thanks for being happy for me," he bit out sarcastically, "-it really means alot to know my _friend _is here for me, you know?"

Before she could say anything, he had turned, and ventured off down the hallway by himself. He heard her call after him, her voice worried, but he didn't even turn around to acknowledge her presence. He strode off in search of Casey, needing something that could calm him. And Casey could always calm him down.

Just as he reached her locker, he stopped dead in his tracks, backtracking a little bit as he saw that Casey was indeed at her locker, but Max was with her. He had his arms around her waist as they leaned against her locker, caught up in their own little world as Max spoke quietly to Casey. He watched as she smiled, and laughed at whatever he had just told her. He grinned, and Derek's stomach clenched sickeningly as he watched Casey say something to Max, and lean up to kiss him. As their lips met, he wanted so badly to turn away, but he found that he couldn't. He knew that he was only torturing himself by watching this, but he couldn't bring himself to walk away from it. It was as though something had just clicked into place, for him. After everything that had happened last night, and all that Derek had said to her, Casey felt nothing. His gentle words, and all of the emotion that he'd put into that one kiss hadn't even stirred a bit of emotion inside of her. He had wanted, or rather hoped, that maybe she would've slightly recognized even the smallest bit of attraction between them. He wanted their night together to have meant something to her, but it was obvious now that it hadn't. She really didn't feel anything for him, and obviously, she still wanted to be with Max. Last night hadn't fixed anything in the long run. Maybe it had only made things worse; because now he was left wanting more of something he could never have again.

And he knew it then. He wasn't going to be able to watch Max and Casey together, everyday. He wasn't going to be able to handle seeing Casey fall for all of the jerk's lies and charm. If he had to watch Casey and Max together like this, every single day, he knew he'd go crazy. He had been handling it so far, but he fully understood that he wasn't moving on, because he was trying so hard to keep Casey in his life. If she was still around, with another guy, how was he supposed to forget her? What he needed was a real chance to live without her. He needed to get away from her, and have a chance to meet new people, without constantly going home to her everyday.

He was only snapped out of his thoughts by the sound of the secretary coming over the loudspeaker, her voice annoyingly sweet.

"All students attending the university and career fair this period are asked to meet in front of the gymnasium in five minutes."

He took one more look at Casey and Max, biting his lip. And without another thought, he turned around, and made his way downstairs to the gym.

- - - -

"How was school today?"

Derek merely shrugged, and nobody else had a chance to speak, for Marti was already going on and on about how a boy named Jimmy in her class had stolen her Doritos, resulting in a fairly lengthy argument on their recess break. He heard his stepmother lecture Marti on the importance of calm problem solving, and he heard his father pretend to agree with his wife, while he secretly rolled his eyes at the woman's tactics. Edwin and Lizzie were having a quiet discussion about some science project they were doing together, and Casey was merely listening to her stepsister's story as she took tiny bites of her dinner.

"-and so I told 'em that next time he took my snack, I'd-"

"If there's violence involved, I don't want to hear it," Nora said quickly, shaking her head. "Next time, just tell your teacher, alright Marti?"

"Fine," the little girl grumbled, slumping down in her chair. Derek smirked a little; he knew full well that Marti would do nothing of the sorts. She'd solve her problems like her older brother did; with harsh words and a threatening fist. She had learned from the best.

Nora turned to Derek, who had remained quiet throughout the duration of the meal.

"Derek," she said, and the teenager looked up, raising an eyebrow at his stepmother. "How was school?"

He shrugged, no hint of a smile on his face.

"It was alright," he said, shrugging. "Nothing special."

She looked doubtful, but she accepted his answer as she nodded, and turned to her oldest daughter, her features slightly hopeful. Casey was always one to give a nice description of her day at school- wasn't she?

"Case?" Nora questioned, smiling brightly at her last hope. "Anything special happen in school today, for you?"

She smiled back, nodding her head at her mother happily.

"Yeah," she said, and Derek pretended not to be interested as he poked around at his food. "We had a university and career fair in the gym. All the different universities and colleges came, and set up a display for their schools. Me and Max went down on our lunchbreak. It was really helpful, and I took home a few of the applications."

"Are they local?" Nora asked, a worried expression on her face. "The universities, I mean? You know how sad I'd be if you moved too far away."

Casey laughed, and her mother relaxed a little bit as she nodded to reassure the woman in front of her.

"They had tables set up for universities across Canada and the US, but I'm only interested in the ones from Ontario," she said, and Nora smiled warmly, obviously glad to hear this. "I mean, a few of the ones from away sounded really interesting, but I want to stay close to you guys. You know me, I got homesick at daycamp."

Derek snorted, and Nora frowned at him as she turned, looking interested in him all of a sudden.

"How about you, Derek?" she questioned, and he sat up, shifting uncomfortably. "Did you pick up any applications today?"

Derek glanced around the table, and noticed that Casey looked worried, for a moment. He bit his lip as his father fixed him with a hopeful look, and he shrugged, putting on his best careless face.

"A few, but I probably won't send them in," he lied, trying his best to sound casual. "They're all local."

They weren't local, and he was flat out lying at this point, but he couldn't really bring himself to care. He had no intentions of telling Casey where he was applying to university, because he knew that she would be upset if she found out. Or maybe he was just hoping that she cared enough to be upset, but he wasn't going to think like that. He just wasn't going to tell her. He had full intentions on talking to his father, if he got word back from any of the universities he was planning on applying to, but until then, he was going to keep his mouth shut.

"I didn't see you in the gym, Derek," Casey said softly, trying her best to be nice to him. He looked up, his expression emotionless. "Usually I bump into you at that sort of thing."

Derek hated himself for what he was about to do. He forced his best careless face as he shrugged his shoulders, digging his fork into the last piece of chicken on his plate.

"So?" he remarked coldly, snorting. "It's not like I was looking for you, or anything."

Everyone at the table, even Edwin and Lizzie, turned to look at him then, their eyes wide. Casey's mouth was slightly open as she gave him a surprised and hurt look, trying her best not to get too upset by what he had just said. George and Nora shared a concerned look as Casey bowed her head, her eyes fixed on her food again.

"Okay," she said quietly, shrugging her shoulders. "I was only trying to be nice."

"Whatever," Derek retorted, shrugging his shoulders as he swallowed the last of his food, and pushed his chair back. "I'm done. Thanks, Nora. I'll be in my room, if anyone needs me."

And so he left the entire table staring after him with wide eyes, and surprised features. Derek was never a jerk to Casey, anymore- never. Even if he was bugging her, which he usually was, he was always sure to do it in a way that wouldn't actually hurt her feelings. But the Derek that they'd all just witnessed was the one that had been around when the McDonald family had first moved in, when Derek and Casey had seemingly hated each other. They hadn't seen Derek show his mean streak to Casey in well over a year now.

But for some reason, that Derek was back now, and everyone- especially Casey- was left to wonder why, and how long it would last.

- - - -

Derek sat in his room at ten o'clock that night, staring blankly at the computer screen in front of him. He was seated at his desk, completely bored as he struggled to get started on his university applications. He wanted to get them out of the way, but to be honest, he had no idea where to start. There were so many universities that he could choose from, and so many that he knew he could probably get into. Casey had helped to raise his grades up within the past year, and he knew that university was practically a guarantee for him, something that he never would've thought, two years ago.

He sighed, bunching his hair in his fists as a knock sounded at his door, and he let out an annoyed groan.

"Who is it?"

The door opened up, and his grip on his hair tightened as he saw Casey peeking into his room, looking nervous.

"It's me," she said quietly, biting her lip gently. "Can I come in?"

Derek quickly moved one of his textbooks on top of his applications, so that she wouldn't see them, and he shrugged his shoulders as he sat back, frowning as he shrugged.

"I guess so," he said, trying not to act like it was a big deal. "If you want."

She stepped inside his bedroom, ignoring his hostility, and she closed the door behind her. Derek kept his eyes on his computer screen as he pretended like her presence was annoying him. It was just easier to freeze her out, rather than try and deal with everything that was going on between them. He didn't want to look like some pathetic loser to her, anymore. He didn't want her to see him as the guy who was so lovestruck that he couldn't even see how pathetic he looked. He wanted to be the guy she looked at as someone who didn't need anyone else, to survive.

"Can I help you?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at her as she took a seat on his bed, biting her lip gently.

"Why are you being like this?" she questioned, shaking her head. "You've barely spoken to me all day, and when you do... you're acting like... like..."

He waited nervously, holding his breath, and she shook her head as she fixed him with a disgusted look.

"You're acting like the Derek I used to know," she said, and for good measure, she added; "-the guy I practically hated."

He fought back the urge to cringe as he shrugged his shoulders, turning his eyes back to the computer screen, as though nothing she was saying was interesting him in the slightest.

"Why do you even care?" he questioned, keeping his voice casual. "You've got Max; you don't need me."

She frowned, confused, and he found himself wishing that she would just leave. Casey was a smart girl; couldn't she pick up on a hint?

"Just because I have Max, doesn't mean I don't want you in my life," she said, shaking her head at him. "Do you think I've only got room for one of you, in my life? Because that's not true. Max is my boyfriend, but you hold a really special place in my life too. I don't want to lose you as a friend for something as stupid as this."

"So now my opinion is stupid."

He was being stubborn, and he knew it, but this was the only way he could think of to make Casey leave him alone. If he was a big enough jerk, maybe she'd just get angry with him and tell him to screw off. It would make it that much easier, once he left for university. For her, anyway.

"That's not what I said, Derek," she said, shaking her head as she narrowed her eyes. "Are you even listening to me? You were perfectly fine last night, and all of a sudden, you're treating me like dirt. I don't understand what's gotten into you. Did I say something to make you mad? Because if there's something bugging you, I want you to be able to tell me."

There was so much he could be telling her, because the list of things bugging him came to no end. It annoyed the hell out of him that her mind was so stubborn that it couldn't remember him being her boyfriend. It bothered him that he was stuck as the friend, and the one she had to constantly feel sorry for. It bugged him that Casey was with the guy who had caused her so much pain, when there was a guy right in front of her that would go through hell and back for her, without so much as complaining. And most of all, he hated that last night, while one of the best nights of his life, had made things worse, for him. In the long run, it had made everything even harder to face. Seeing Casey kiss Max now was even worse than before, because now, he remembered that he had been able to kiss her so recently. He knew that he should be thankful, and that he shouldn't get angry with her for this. She had done such a sweet thing, and she had made it clear to Derek that their date to prom had merely been a one time thing, something that wouldn't happen again. But there was a part of his mind that had allowed that one night to spoil him, and now, he was left wanting so much more.

"There's nothing I have to tell you," he said, his voice void of emotion. "If I wanted to talk to you, I would've come to you. Did that ever occur to you?"

She shook her head at him, hurt flickering through her eyes as she glared at him.

"Maybe Max was right about you," she said, and he tried his best not to react to that. His hands tightened into fists next to him, and he merely looked at her, not saying a word. "Maybe you were just using me."

Derek's jaw tightened, and his body stiffened as he fixed her with a cold look, frowning.

"And what do you mean by that?"

She straightened up, folding her arms across her chest as she shrugged, looking slightly superior to him all of a sudden.

"Max told me today that he thought you were only being nice to me to try and make me feel bad for you," she started, as Derek waited anxiously. "And a part of me thinks that maybe now that you've had a night of what you wanted from me, you're just going to go back to being yourself."

Derek was silent for a moment, taking all of this in, before he shook his head angrily, his eyes ice cold.

"If that's what you think, then you're delusional," he snapped, his voice clearly angry. "You think what I wanted from you was one night of showing you off? You think all I wanted was one kiss, one time?"

Her expression didn't change as her eyes gave him the look that indicated that this was exactly what she had thought. He gave a laugh of disbelief, shaking his head at her.

"You're crazier than I thought you were."

She frowned slightly, the smirk disappearing, but he couldn't be bothered with arguing with her, right now. He didn't want to start more arguments than they already had going.

"Get out of my room, Casey," he said bitterly, turning his gaze back to the computer screen. "You're wasting my time. I don't want to talk to people who see me as nothing more than someone to pity."

She was silent for a moment, before she stood up, her eyes flashing with anger as she took a step towards him.

"Dammit, Derek," she yelled at him, causing his eyes to snap up to hers. "Can't you see I'm trying, here? I'm trying as hard as I can to make you happy. Do you want me to lie, and tell you I love you? Because you already know that I don't. But I feel so guilty about all of this, and I'm trying so damn hard to make things as normal as possible between us. But everytime I turn around, you're accusing me of treating you badly, or being too sympathetic, or making the wrong choice, and you're stressing me out!"

He turned his gaze away from her, clenching his fists even tighter together. He wasn't going to give in. He wanted her to just leave, angry with him. That way, they could be done with for good, and he wouldn't have to worry about hurting her when he left. Of course, he was hurting her now, but he wasn't exactly thinking clearly.

"Just go, okay?"

She shook her head at him, and when he looked up, he spotted the tears in her eyes.

_'Dammit,'_ he thought to himself, inwardly cringing. _'Well there you go, Venturi. You made her cry. Way to go.'_

"Case," he said softly, suddenly regretting what he had been saying to her. "Im sor-"

"You really are a jerk."

She turned to leave, but Derek was much faster than her, and he managed to jump up, and make his way to the doorway quicker than her. He pressed himself up against it, his eyes fixed on her as she tried to hide her tears, but failing horribly.

"Move out of the way," she said quietly, sniffing as she tried to hide the fact that she was crying. "Don't you think you've done enough damage today?"

"I'm sorry," he said quickly, and when she looked away, her arms folded across her chest, he reached down to grip her chin softly, tilting it back up towards him. "Hey, Case? Look at me, alright?"

She reluctantly did so, and he managed to put on a tiny smile, for her sake, as he wiped away a few of her tears with his thumb.

"I didn't mean to get mad at you," he said honestly, shaking his head. "I've got alot going through my head right now, but I shouldn't have yelled at you. You don't deserve that. Smile, okay?"

She rolled her eyes, and no smile graced her lips as she continued to give him the cold shoulder. He knew that he was going to have to try harder than he already was, so he sighed, dropping his hand from her chin.

"I know I've been a burden to you," he started, and the slightest flicker of interest flashed through her eyes, then. "I'm always talking to you about Max being a jerk, and I'm always in your face about our old relationship. It must have been hard enough for you to accept losing thirteen months of memory, let alone have to put up with someone like me, in your face. I'm sorry for all of that. I didn't mean to make things harder on you."

She shrugged, sniffing again as the barrier between them began to crumble quickly.

"It's okay," she whispered, her tears subsiding. "If it wasn't for you being so stubborn, we wouldn't be friends, right? And us being friends has been such a help to me. You've done so much for me. In fact, today, when we were at that university fair, I was even thinking to myself how much I owe to you. If you hadn't of stuck up for me in the office that day, I wouldn't be graduating soon. Speaking of which, I hope me and you get accepted into the same university; that'd be sorta cool, don't you think?"

Derek fought back the urge to argue with her, and he merely forced a smile, nodding.

"Yeah, real cool."

He sighed, and before she could say anything, he was overwhelmed with it all, and he reached out, pulling her to his chest in a tight hug.

"Like I said, I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble," he said, his eyes closed tightly as he spoke to her. "I promise you I'll leave you alone about the Max thing. If he's going to make you happy... I'll... I'll step back, and stop interfering. You don't have to worry about me getting in the way anymore."

She pulled back slightly, looking up at him with confusion, but he merely shook his head, giving her a gentle push in the direction of the doorway.

"Go get to work on those applications," he said, a tiny grin on his face. "I bet they're all dying to hear from Thompson's top student. Any of those schools would be lucky to have a special girl like you in their schools."

She still looked confused, but she merely nodded, and left as soon as she thanked him.

Derek sighed, his hands in his pockets as he stared at his closed door. Wow, he sure knew how to talk a whole load of bullshit. When it came down to it, he could hold his breath, and pretend to be happy about her and Max being together. As long as she was happy, he would try to be happy himself. Besides, once he was off at university, he wouldn't have to watch them together, anymore.

He seated himself at his desk, and sighed as he pushed the textbook away from the applications, and looked down at the very first one, the one he was praying he would get accepted to.

Picking it up in his hands, he gave a sad little smile, studying the headline with interest.

"University of California, Los Angeles," he read, shaking his head. "I guess this is what it takes to move on."

And without another word, he touched his pen to the paper, and started filling out the necessary fields.

* * *

**The next few chapters will be pretty important, so review, and I'll update. **


	19. Good Day Gone Bad

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

**Chapter Nineteen: Good Day Gone Bad**

After weeks upon weeks of studying, cramming, re-reading notes, and nightly headaches, exams were over, and so was the school year. But for the senior class of Thompson High, it was more than that, because they were completely finished with high school forever. They had taken their last exams, gotten their final report cards, and now, it was all over. Derek could barely believe that he would never attend another class at this place again. He'd been here for three years now, and it seemed practically impossible that he wouldn't be returning in the fall, for another year of what he referred to as academic torture. He hated to sound like a nerd, but he would sort of miss coming here for class, and getting busted for stupid pranks that him and his friends pulled, and he could even admit that he'd miss a few of his teachers.

But on the other hand, school was over, and he had an entire summer ahead of him. He was leaving for California in four days. He had been accepted about a week ago, though he had only told his father, Nora, and Edwin, so far. School didn't start until fall of course, but he wanted to get out of there as fast as possible. Sure, he'd miss everyone, but being near Casey was getting to be unbearable, when all she could talk about was her plans with Max for the summer. He happened to know that she was going off to some cabin with Max, and a few of his friends and their girlfriends. He cringed at what could possibly happen there, and what he knew was going to happen. He had a good feeling that Max would be getting what he wanted, this summer. And Derek was worried that, once he had it, he'd leave Casey. And as much as that would solve some of Derek's problems, he knew it would break Casey's heart.

He wandered down the hallway slowly, his hands in his pockets as he watched people chatting away happily, discussing their plans for the summer, or sharing grades. He faintly smiled at a few of the couples that he passed by, because they all looked so damn happy. It killed him to know that this had been him and Casey only a few short months ago. They'd been so happy, together, but it had all been taken away from him in the blink of an eye.

He was snapped out of his thoughts when someone ran up behind him, and he felt arms wrap around his neck. He turned to find that Casey was wrapping him in a big hug, a huge grin spread across her face.

"Last day of school!" she cried happily, and Derek merely laughed as he returned her hug, forcing out a smile. "Aren't you so happy?"

"Sure," he said, shrugging. "You know me, I'm a big fan of not having any school."

"More than that," she said, as he draped an arm across her shoulders, and they walked down the hall together, passing by tons of celebrating students. "We can hang out, and go to the beach, and go swimming. It'll be a blast."

"Sure," Derek said, more quietly this time. "A blast, right."

Casey had no idea that he was going to be leaving in four days. In fact, she had no idea that he would even be going to university in California. As far as she was aware, he was still waiting on an acceptance letter from the University of Toronto, where she would be attending, in the fall.

As if on cue, she sighed, and he unwrapped his arm from her shoulders, stuffing his hands into his pockets carelessly.

"Have you heard back from the university, yet?" she questioned, and he shook his head, shrugging.

"Nope, not yet," he put in, as though it was no big deal. "It's only a matter of time, though. They won't say no to a guy like Derek Venturi."

Casey rolled her eyes at his over-inflated ego, but decided to ignore it as she gave him a hopeful grin, raising her eyebrows.

"So, how'd you do?"

Derek bit his lip, reaching into his back pocket to pull out his folded up report card, already discarded into the back of his jeans, and the back of his mind.

"Nineteenth place on honour roll," he said, shrugging as though it were no big deal. "All thanks to you, of course. You're the one who got me into studying regularily."

She gasped with surprise, and before he knew what was happening, she had reached up, and kissed him on the cheek quickly. His cheeks burned red, though he doubted it were from the heat inside the school, and he quickly touched his fingers to the place her lips had touched. His mind was racing as she shrugged, blushing at what she had just done.

"I'm so proud of you," she said happily, still embarassed. "University of Toronto would be crazy not to accept you. Nineteenth place in a school with over six hundred kids? That's awesome, Derek."

He shrugged, blushing gently as they passed through the doors of their school for what they knew would be their last time, as a student.

"Probably not as high as you got, though," he voiced honestly, and she shrugged, not really caring about how high she had ranked.

"Doesn't matter," she said, her lips turned up into a smile. "You still did amazing. Your Dad is going to freak when he finds out how great you did."

She ventured off towards the car happily, and Derek stopped walking for a moment, sighing as he watched her hair flow gently behind her.

"Yeah," he said, feeling empty and unsatisfied. "Great."

- - - -

Derek woke up on his last day in Ontario with a feeling of dread in his stomach. Today was the day he would leave behind this whole mess, and everyone involved. He felt bad for leaving so many people, especially without telling them first, but it had to be done. He had to leave all of this behind, to let Casey be happy, and to help him move on. He needed a new environment, with new girls, new oppurtunies, and more importantly, no Casey. Having her around was never going to allow him to move on, and he had been crazy to think that it would've.

He rolled over, feeling completely empty. If he was going away to be happy, why did he feel so damn horrible? Maybe because he knew how badly he was going to hurt Casey by doing this, but he hoped that she would get over it. Max hadn't hurt her, to his knowledge, in the two or three months that they'd been back together. Maybe he really had changed. And although Derek severely doubted it, he knew that there was nothing he could do to convince Casey that Max had ever been abusive. He was starting to accept things, little by little, and he could accept that him and Casey were officially over.

He yawned, stretching. He had big plans for today. His plane didn't leave until seven thirty that night, and him and Casey were planning on hanging out all day. He hadn't told her why he wanted to hang out, of course; he had merely told her that he wanted to spend some time with her that day. His father and Nora had both strongly advised against keeping this a secret, but had told him that they wouldn't go behind his back, as long as this was really what he wanted. He knew that they both thought this was a horrible idea, but to him, this was best. No emotional goodbyes, no arguments, no questioning of why he was doing this; it was just twenty times better for him.

- -

Two hours later, he was downstairs by the front door, waiting for Casey to finish getting ready. He had been leaning up against the wall for twenty minutes now, waiting for her to come downstairs. He twirled the car keys around on one finger, supressing a yawn as he watched his younger siblings sitting around in their pajamas, eating cereal and watching cartoons. Edwin kept fixing him with a weird look, since he knew his brother was leaving today. Derek couldn't help but feel that his brother was disappointed in him, for some reason. He wasn't sure why, but that was just the vibe he got off of the teenager.

By the time Edwin was giving him this look again, Derek sighed, and tore his eyes away from his brother, looking towards the general direction of the staircase.

"Casey!" he called out, impatient. "Can't you hurry? I'm gonna have grey hairs by the time you're done getting ready."

A door could be heard closing upstairs, and a moment later, she came down over the stairs, tucking a strand of loose hair behind her ears as she adjusted the strap of her black tank top with her other hand. Derek's breathing hitched; God he loved summer, especially when he got to see Casey wearing shirts like that.

She grabbed her bag off of the floor by the coatrack, and gave him a pointed look, raising one eyebrow.

"I'm ready," she said, and he merely rolled his eyes, grasping the doorknob in one hand.

"We're gone!" he called out, for anyone who cared to know their whereabouts. "We'll be home tonight."

There was no response, and he turned away from the living room, rolling his eyes again.

"Glad to see you all care."

Casey followed him out the door, and to the car. They threw their stuff into the backseat, and headed off towards the beach.

- - - -

"C'mon, Case!" Derek called out, from his waist-deep area of water. "Stop being such a chicken. The water isn't even cold."

She pouted, remaining seated on her towel, a good fifteen feet up onto the shore.

"I don't want my hair getting wet," she said, shaking her head. "I spent an hour straightening it."

Derek sighed, folding his arms across his chest as another wave of cool water hit him in the stomach.

"Just don't go in far enough to get your hair wet, then," he said, shrugging. "It's as simple as that. And if you do get it wet, I promise you I'll take you home to dry it off, okay?"

She looked fairly hesitant, before sighing, and standing up, wandering slowly towards the edge of the water with a glare and a pout marking her features boldly.

"I was much happier tanning," she said, her voice annoyed. She dipped a toe in, and Derek laughed as she leapt backwards, letting out a tiny squeal.

"Something wrong, Case?" he asked knowingly, one eyebrow raised.

She looked up at him, glaring, and she shook her head, backing up again.

"Too cold."

Derek sighed. It wasn't too cold; it was just too cold for Casey's standards. The girl thought anything short of room temperature was absolutely freezing. He made his way out of the water, and wandered back over to their spot on the semi-crowded beach, flopping back down onto the beach towel he had laid out earlier.

"You're chicken," he declared, shrugging. "That's all there is to it."

He grinned mischeviously when she rolled her eyes, and he sat up, moving towards her.

"Caseyyyy," he said teasingly, raising an eyebrow. "Want a hug?"

Her eyes widened as she saw him coming closer to her, dripping wet.

She scrambled backwards on her towel, shaking her head as she held up her hands in cautious warning.

"Derek!" she said, her voiced panicked, now. "You wouldn't dare..."

"Oh, but I would," he said honestly, shrugging his shoulders. And without another word, he had grabbed her, and hugged her against his chest, despite her protests. She squealed as she felt the cold water from his body seeping into her clothes, and he only pulled back after a moment, so that he could catch his breath from laughing so hard. She was staring down at her soaked clothing, wide-eyed, with her mouth hanging open as though she couldn't believe he had just done that.

"Der_ek_!" she cried, her voice half annoyed, half amused. "I can't believe you did that! I'm soaked."

"The sun will dry you off," he said, shrugging as he lay back on his towel, stretching his hands out behind his head. "You've got a change of clothes in that bag, anyway. Props to you on thinking ahead, Case."

She grumbled with frustration as she grabbed another towel from their pile of belongings, and attempted to dry herself off a little bit. Derek had his eyes closed as he let the sun beat down on him, but he didn't bother to pay attention as she gave up, and tossed the towel down next to her, propping her arms up behind her.

"I give up," she said, sighing. "You're impossible, you know that, don't you?"

Derek shrugged one shoulder, not bothering to open his eyes.

"Yep."

There was a few minutes of silence that passed between them. It wasn't awkward or weird, it was just relaxing. Derek was half convinced that Casey had fallen asleep next to him, for she was never one to stay quiet for long periods of time. He merely enjoyed the darkness that was at the back of his eyelids as he let the warmth seep through him, and he felt the water drying up off of his skin rapidly.

The silence was only broken by Casey's quiet voice, speaking up to his right after a few minutes of silence-filled glory.

"Derek?" she questioned shyly, her head tilted up towards the sun. "Can I ask you something?"

"Mhm," he mumbled, not really paying attention. "Whatever you want."

She bit her lip as she opened her eyes, looking down at the guy next to her, who was stretched out so peacefully in the summer sun.

"How did we get together; me and you, I mean?" she asked, sounding curious. "I mean, I know you've told me about the circumstances... about whatever you say Max did, but I mean... who asked who out? Did we date first? Did we tell everyone?"

Derek's eyes opened up, and he sat up straight, looking over at her with interest. It was unlike her to ask questions about their relationship; usually, she would shut him up if he mentioned it in the slightest. But he definitely wasn't complaining as he sighed, and rested his arms on top of his knees casually.

"I asked you out on a date," he began, his voice almost quiet with sadness. "You liked me too, so you said yes. By our third date, I asked you if you'd want to be my girlfriend. I had wanted to ask you from the moment we kissed, on our very first date, but I knew you might want a chance to get used to it first. Anyway, you said yes, but you wanted us to go public. You said you weren't willing to keep secrets, so we told everyone. And after that... well, it was the happiest eight months of my life."

She was frowning as she watched him carefully, aware of the emotion in his voice, and in his eyes, as he stared out towards the water, sighing.

"Sounds like we were actually pretty good together," she said carefully, her voice wavering slightly. "Were we?"

Derek nodded, a tiny smile on his lips as he took a sip of his water bottle, and replaced it back down next to him.

"Definitely," he said, shrugging. "You may not remember it, but you really did love me. And I loved you; I still do, obviously. I think we still would've been together if it wasn't for that stupid accident."

Derek was silent for a moment, and Casey watched as his face screwed up with pain, and he buried his head against his hands. Whether it was out of frustration, or sadness, or a mixture of both, she didn't know, but a moment later, she noticed that he was speaking again, his voice muffled into his hands.

"This is _so_ screwed up!" he managed to get out, his voice harsh. "It's not supposed to be like this. You're not supposed to be with him; you should still be with me. And you would've been, if I hadn't of been such a huge idiot. It took all of two seconds of me not paying attention for this to happen, and it ruined my life!"

She placed a hand cautiously on his back, biting her lip gently. She tried to speak, but to be honest, she had no idea what to say to him. What could you possibly say to the person who was heartbroken, because of you?

- - - -

By lunchtime, Derek was in a much better mood. They'd gotten dried off and changed, and Derek had driven them to a local restauraunt, to get something to eat. It was actually a pretty nice restauraunt, and she was surprised when he told her to go ahead and order whatever she wanted, because he was paying. She decided not to go too hard on him, so she ordered some chicken alfredo, with a side garden salaad. Derek, the meat-addict, ordered a double paddy bacon burger, with curly fries and a side of onion rings. The waitress looked surprised at this, for he wasn't exactly an overweight guy, but nonetheless, once they got their food, he proved that his order fit his appetite perfectly. He was halfway through the double burger by the time Casey had finished pouring some dressing onto her salad.

"You're absolutely nuts, you know that?" Casey said, shaking her head as she looked at the half eaten burger on his plate. "I'd never be able to eat that thing."

"That's because I'm manly," Derek said proudly, grinning as he swallowed his food. "You, on the other hand-"

"-am perfectly happy with being a woman," she said, shaking her head at him before he could finish his sentence. He frowned, but shrugged, taking another bite of his food.

"Whatever floats your boat," he said carelessly, and she sighed, before returning to her dinner.

"So what did you have to get when you stopped by Alyssa's house?" she questioned, referring to the ten minute stop they'd made at Alyssa's house, on the way. "I saw you out front talking to her brother... Matthew, isn't it?"

Derek nodded, hoping desperately to avoid the question, but before he had a chance to answer, she shook her head, frowning slightly.

"I don't like that guy," she said disapprovingly, and Derek began taking smaller bites of his food as he frowned, trying not to act too curious.

"You don't?" he asked, his voice quieter than usual. "Why not?"

She shrugged as she took a small bite of salad, her eyes still full of disapproval.

"He's into drugs and stuff, isn't he?" she questioned, and Derek began to grow very uncomfortable with where this conversation was headed. But he knew it was senseless to lie, so he forced back his food, nodding his head reluctantly.

"Yeah, he is," he confirmed, feeling weak. "But that's not a reason to hate anyone, is it? I mean, tons of people do drugs and stuff. That doesn't mean they're bad people."

"I know," she said, a little too quickly. She sighed, and placed her fork down next to her plate. "Derek, do you know how strongly I hate drugs?"

He froze with half of a mouthful of burger left in his mouth, but he forced it back, nodding his head and deciding to wait before he took another bite that big.

"Mhm," he said, shrugging as he wiped his mouth with his napkin. "You used to tell me all the time that you hated it. What's your point?"

"Did I ever tell you _why_ I hated drugs?"

He paused, thinking back, before shaking his head slowly, realization dawning over his features. Casey had told him dozens of times that she hated drug use of any kind, but now that he thought about it, he realized that he had never known her reasoning behind it.

"No, you never."

She nodded, looking down, and even from across the table, he could see the sadness in her eyes. He frowned, tilting his head in a failed attempt to get her to look at him. When he couldn't succeed, he sighed, and put his fork down.

"Case, what is it?" he asked, curious now. "Tell me why you hate it so much. I promise I'm not gonna go off and tell anyone."

She looked up, squinting as though she was studying him extremely hard. It was almost as though she was trying to see if she could trust him. As though reading her mind, he reached across the table, placing one of his hands over hers, and fixing her with a weak smile.

"You can trust me, Casey."

She squinted at him, before nodding, drawing in a deep breath. He could feel her hand shaking underneath his, but he gave her a moment of silence, so that she could gather her thoughts. Finally, she spoke up, and her voice was filled with a pain that Derek couldn't even understand.

"When I was fourteen, I was best friends with this girl named Katie," she said, biting the inside of her lip as Derek drew his hand back, watching her with interest. "We'd been friends since pre-school. She had this huge crush on a boy named Travis. He'd been in our class since the fourth grade, and she'd liked him ever since. He was actually a year older than us, because he had to repeat the third grade. Something about being off for a long time with mono. Anyway, in the ninth grade, she asked him out, and he said yes. I can't tell you how happy she was."

She stopped for a moment to catch her breath, but Derek said nothing, not wanting to interrupt her story. He merely gave a tiny nod, signalling that it was okay to go on.

"So she went on her first date with him, and I told her to call me when she got home. I figured she would, 'cause we always called each other after big dates like that. Anyway, I stayed up like, half the night, but she never called. The next morning, I called, and her mother told me she was still asleep. She called me back around eleven that morning, and told me she had completely forgotten to call me the night before. Usually, we'd tell each other all about the dates we went on. So I found it pretty weird when she could barely remember any of it. I asked her if she was going to go out with him again, and she told me she didn't want to. I started wondering if he had done something bad to her, because she'd liked him for so long."

Derek waited, biting the inside of his lip as she drew in a shaky breath, and went on.

"She did go out with him again. Three or four times, but she always seemed unhappy about it. I only found out after about a month why she didn't want to go out with him. On their very first date, he pressured her into doing heroin. They went back to his house after the movie, or something, and he told her she wasn't allowed to leave until she had done some. He pressured her into the other dates, threatening to tell her mother what she had done. Her Mom was one of those people who strived on perfection, and her father was super strict. If her parents had found out, she was terrified of what they'd do. So she kept going out with him, and every single time, he'd pressure her into using again. On the last time, he raped her, and she called me that night crying her eyes out, and telling me that he was already calling her again, and that she couldn't handle it anymore. The next thing I knew, the line went dead, and I... I..."

Derek watched as she cringed, and he reached for her hand again, but she shook her head, biting her lip as she struggled to regain her composure. He frowned, not enjoying seeing her like this. He hated it when she was upset, and it was quite obvious that she was.

"What is it?" he asked her quietly, as she tried to hide her emotion from him. "You can tell me."

She looked up at him, and although there were no tears in her eyes, she still looked absolutely broken.

"She killed herself, Derek," she said quietly, her voice timid. "I tried calling her a few times, but there was no answer. Her Mom wasn't going to be home that night, so I ran over to her house, and when I did, I was the one who... who found..."

"It's okay," he said, and when he glanced around, finding that there was almost nobody around them, he sighed, and stood up, going around to the other side of the table to sit next to her. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, sighing.

"I'm here," he said, and he felt his body tense as her head dropped onto his shoulder. His voice dropped to a whisper as he cringed, looking down at the girl next to him. "I'm always here."

"What was that?" she asked, her voice shaky as she pressed a hand against his chest, her head still resting on his shoulder.

He shook his head, sighing as he held her closer.

"Nothing," he lied, deciding it wasn't important. "I can understand why you hate drugs, though. That must have been pretty hard to face."

"It was," she said, nodding slightly. "Right before I moved here, a few of my other friends started getting into drugs and stuff, and I can't tell you how scared I was that something would happen. I mean, people overdose all the time. I don't want to lose someone else I care about."

She was silent for a moment, and Derek rubbed her back gently, trying his very best to comfort the girl next to him.

"Derek?" she asked, her voice scared.

"Yeah?"

She moved away from him slightly, looking up into his eyes with her own, looking worried, and he knew that she needed to be reassured.

"You'd never leave me, right?" she asked, her voice shaky. "Over the past few months, we've grown so close, and I feel like you're the one person I can always count on to be there for me. Sometimes I... I even trust you more than I trust Max, and that scares me, honestly. I just... I can't see you getting into anything stupid like drugs, but I couldn't see her getting into it either, even if it was by force. So... you'd never do anything like that, right? You'll always be here for me?"

Derek's mind wandered to where all of his money had been going lately, into feeding his drug intake. He only thought about that for a moment, before he remembered where he would be going that very night. He was leaving her here, to fend for herself. He was going to California, and he wasn't even telling her.

But it was his desire to be a better person to her that gave him the sudden inspiration to stop using drugs. He knew that, if she didn't want him to do it, he could stop. It wasn't like he was addicted to anything. It was up to him to stop, and he knew that he could. He made a mental note to himself to throw away everything he had, the second he got home.

So he shook his head, and he felt warmth spread through him as he kissed the top of her head, the only sign that he still had a strong sense of who he was.

"I promise," he said, resting his chin on top of her head. "Whenever you need me, I'll always be willing to listen. You know that."

She seemed relieved as she pulled away from him, her eyes trusting as she gave him an anxious look.

"And you'd never screw up your life with drugs or anything, right?"

He cringed, but nodded his head, deciding that, from now on, he wasn't going to do anything like that anymore. He wasn't in deep enough that he couldn't pull himself out of the habit, and for Casey, he could stop.

"I wouldn't hurt you like that," he said quietly, shaking his head. "I promise you. You can count on me."

She smiled at him, and the fact that that cute little smile was all for him made him soften for her. He smiled back as best as he could, before moving away, sighing.

"I've got to go to the bathroom, alright?" he said, standing up and straightening out his shirt. "You just keep that cute little smile on your face until I get back."

She laughed gently, nodding her head, and he went off towards the washroom, thinking to himself that he hadn't felt this good since prom night. He made a mental note to himelf to throw out all of his drugs on the first chance he got, just for her. If he could keep that smile on her face for as long as possible. The thought that she trusted him more than she trusted Max sometimes, that made him so happy inside. And he never wanted to screw that up.

When he finished up in the washroom, he opened the door, still glowing happily, but was surprised when he bumped right into a very angry Casey. He stepped back a little, against the door, his eyes wide as he saw her folding her arms across her chest, and glaring at him.

"Whoah," he said, his voice nervous. "What happened to the cute smile?"

She shook her head at him, placing both hands on her hips as she raised an eyebrow at him suspiciously.

"And what happened to meaning what you say?" she asked, and he frowned, biting his lip as he tried to regain some composure.

"I'm not really sure what you're talking about," he admitted, shrugging his shoulders anxiously. She gave a bitter laugh, reaching into her pocket, and the next thing he knew, there was a tiny plastic bag being shoved against his chest. He looked down to see her pressing his most recent purchase against his chest. His face paled, and his stomach clenched at the sight of the baggie of cocaine he'd just gotten off of Matthew.

"Your cellphone was ringing in your jacket," she said, her voice cruelly amused. "I thought I'd answer it for you. Imagine my surprise when I found this in your pocket instead."

"C-Casey..." he stammered, giving her a scared look. "Casey, it's... it's not what you think..."

Her eyes were watery as she shook her head, giving him an angry look.

"I think that it's _exactly_ what I think," she said cruelly, her voice shaking. "You got that off Matthew when we stopped by their house, didn't you? You didn't even go to talk to Alyssa at all, I bet."

He was shaking as he stowed the baggie away in his pocket, not wanting to be seen with the illegal substance.

"Casey, calm down," he said, glancing around to make sure nobody was listening. Unfortunately, this only angered her further.

"No!" she cried, pushing him up against the door. "I won't calm down. You're an asshole, Derek. I always knew you were nothing but a liar, but I gave you the benefit of the doubt lately. But I can see now that you've never changed. I wouldn't have minded so much if you hadn't made that stupid promise to me _five minutes_ ago. You don't promise things that you have no intention of sticking by."

He tried to grab her wrist gently, but she took a step backwards, her eyes full of bitterness.

"I hate you."

Before he could even register the emotional pain of her words, she had slapped him hard across the face, and he was left clutching his red and stinging cheek, his eyes wide.

"I'm through with you," was all she said, before turning on her heel, and walking out of the restauraunt.

Derek glanced around at the few people who were now staring at him, and he frowned, every bit of happiness he had possessed only moments before gone right down the drain.

* * *

**Review, to see if Derek gets a chance to make things right before he leaves for California. **


	20. The Girl He Loves

**This is a short chapter, but it is mainly a filler. I hope you enjoy it anyway. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter Twenty: The Girl He Loves**

"Casey, come on!" Derek begged, for what felt like the thousandth time since he'd gotten home that evening. "Please open the door. I need to talk to you."

"Go away," she called, clearly frustrated with him. "You're giving me a headache."

"No; you're just a drama queen," he said, getting annoyed with her. He had been standing outside her bedroom door for well over forty five minutes now, begging her to let him in to apologize. She had locked herself in her bedroom, and although Derek had been knocking insistantly, she refused to let him in. He was glad that his parents were still gone out, because he knew that they'd be wondering what all the yelling was about. If the kids could hear them, they weren't saying anything about it.

"I'm sorry, okay?" he said, as he leaned against her door, his head tilted back. "I didn't even do any of it. I bought it off of Matthew today, but I haven't done any of it before, I swear. It would've been my first time."

There was silence for a moment, before the door swung open unexpectedly, and Derek found himself being thrown backwards into her room. The door slammed behind him, and he caught himself on the edge of her dresser, straightening up as though nothing had happened. He looked at her angry face as she moved towards him, her arms folded across her chest pointedly.

"You seemed to be a little too friendly with Matthew for someone who hasn't bought anything off of him before," she noted, and Derek remained silent as she fixed him with a suspicious look. "Promise me you've never done cocaine before, or any other drug, for that matter."

Derek opened his mouth to promise her, but he closed it again, thinking hard. He couldn't lie to Casey- not about this. So he fought back his dignity, and voiced the truth.

"I've never done cocaine before, but I've done weed almost everyday for the past two months or so," he said, and her jaw tightened as she paled, staring at him. "I'd never done anything before that, but he offered me some, and I was hurting so badly, Casey. I still am. It felt like the only escape from any of it. And the weed... it just wasn't strong enough, dammit. And when I told Matthew that he told me he'd sell me some cocaine cheap if I wanted to give it a try, so I did, and... and..."

He trailed off, looking at her hurt expression with tired eyes. He sighed, shaking his head as he ran a hand through his hair sadly.

"And I'm sorry," he finished, much to her surprise. "I never should've bought it off of him in the first place. I never should have gotten involved with drugs at all. But I did, and all I can do now is apologize to you, and hope that you're going to forgive me. It'd hurt alot if you didn't, but I'll understand."

She was silent as she thought over everything that he had just said, and in their silence, Derek caught sight of the alarm clock on her desk, which read that it was five o'clock. He'd be leaving to go to the airport in less than an hour. That meant that he had to make her forgive him as quickly as possible; he couldn't stand leaving Ontario on bad terms with him.

"You think I'm going to forgive you that easily?" she asked, and his stomach dropped as she shook her head, uncrossing her arms. "Forget it, Derek. I always knew you were a liar, but I've been giving you the benefit of the doubt. I decided, against my better judgement, to trust you. And when I asked you to make a promise to me, you did it. I wouldn't even have gotten mad if you had told me what you had been doing."

He raised an eyebrow doubtfully, and she paused, before rolling her eyes.

"Okay, so maybe I would've been a little mad," she admitted, shrugging. "But to promise me something that you've already broken... that's low- even for you."

"I've told you that I'm sorry," he said desperately, shaking his head. "The second you told me that story about your friend, I promised myself I'd throw it all away. I told myself I'd quit, just for you. You've got to believe me when I say that. I wasn't going to do any of it, if it meant breaking an important promise to you."

"Why should I believe you?" she asked, laughing, though nothing was funny. "You blew the one chance I gave you to be honest with me. I don't owe you anything."

Derek was silent for a moment, before nodding, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"You're absolutely right," he said, his voice void of emotion. "You owe me nothing. But we're friends, Casey. And because of that, I feel like we owe each other a second chance."

She snorted, shaking her head at him.

"You were already on your second chance," she reminded him, and he felt his hands shake as he realized how difficult it was going to be to get her back on his good side. "Years one through two in this house, aka hell in domestic form- _that_ was your first chance. Your second chance was the one I gave you after this whole accident thing. Maybe I took some pity on you, because I could see how much you were hurting. And yeah, maybe I did grow to trust you. But you threw that away when you lied to me."

"I didn't technically lie to you," he said, shrugging as he tried out his last ditch attempt to get her back. "I told you I wasn't going to get messed up in drugs, and I meant it. I told you, I was going to throw them away. And I did. I promise you I won't buy anything else off of him, or anyone else. I'm done with the drugs, okay?"

She looked away, shrugging as her arms folded across her chest again.

"Do what you want," she said, her voice cold. "I don't care. I'm not going to let anything you do affect me anymore. You're an asshole. If you want to screw your life up, go ahead; but I'm not going to sit here and watch you do it. I've got better people to be spending my time with."

Derek snorted, raising an eyebrow as he felt his frustration with her grow.

"Oh yeah?" he challenged, his voice low. "Like who, Casey? I'd love to find someone else who cares about you as much as I do, I really would. Because I can tell you, it's not possible. There's nobody in this world that would treat you the way I treat you."

"Oh, you mean lie to me?" she challenged cruelly, raising an eyebrow. "Easy. I could start hanging out with Scott again. He was great at lying. Why don't the two of you hang out a little bit?"

"Why don't you shut up?" he mocked, a little more harshly than intended. "You think you're so much better than me, don't you? Well guess what, Princess? You may be a way better person than I am, but I'm still a person, okay? I don't deserve to be treated the way you're treating me. One second you're acting like I'm the best friend you've ever had, and the next second, you're bitching out at me, and making me feel like you only ever hung out with me because you pitied me."

"And what if I did?" she asked, and he stopped talking then, as he felt his heart sink. He stared at her, his eyes hurt, and her face fell as she realized what she had said.

"I didn't mean that," she said quickly, shaking her head. "I really didn't. I may have only gotten along with you in the beginning because I felt bad for you, but up until now, you've been a good friend to me. But if I can't trust you, then maybe we're better off going back to the way we were before."

Derek shifted uncomfortably, unsure of what she meant by this.

"You mean..."

"I mean maybe we were better off when we hated each other."

He stared at her, his expression absolutely terrified, and the silence was only broken by the sound of George's voice downstairs. Neither of them had even heard their parents getting home, but they didn't really care, at that point.

"Derek!" his father called out, sounding impatient. "Come on, we've got to get going. We need to stop into your mother's house along the way."

Derek's eyes were still locked with Casey's, and he found himself ignoring his father as he took a step towards her, shaking his head.

"I never hated you," he said quietly, approaching her. "And I don't think you ever hated me, either. And I know you don't hate me right now."

He stopped in front of her, and she looked up at him with something like fear as she shook her head, looking desperately lost.

"I don't know what I feel for you, okay?" she choked out, sounding scared. "I don't think I want to know. I just... I've been..."

"Derek!" George called out again, more desperately this time. "You're going to be late!"

Derek took her hands gently in his, his eyes softening as he urged her to continue, needing to know what she was going to say.

"What is it?" he asked, his voice quietly rushed. "Tell me, Casey."

When Nora's voice could be heard calling out to Derek, Casey snapped out of her trance, and she tore her eyes away from Derek's, glancing towards the closed bedroom door.

"You'd better get going," she said, shrugging. "Whatever it is, it sounds important."

She pulled her hands gently from his, backing away from him with saddened eyes.

"Casey," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "Tell me you don't hate me."

She sniffed, and nodded towards her door, looking torn.

"Your Dad is waiting," she said weakly, leaning against the wall next to her window. "Maybe it's a good thing this happened, Derek. I think we were getting too close as it was. I just think it'd be better for both of us if we went back to the way we were before."

There was no more arguing, for she turned towards her window, looking down at the street below sadly. Derek stared at her, his heart beating madly inside of his chest, with emotion he would never feel, and pain he would never recognize. Because Derek Venturi had finally grown numb to all of the pain in his life. He had finally learned that life wasn't fair, especially to him, and that he was never going to get everything right.

And if there was one advantage to being able to block out pain, it would have to be that he felt nothing when he didn't get to say goodbye to the girl he loved.

- - - -

Derek sat on the plane, his chin in his hands as he stared out at pavement blankly. It was a nice night out, but to Derek, everything looked gloomy and depressing. The pavement, lit up in an orange glow by the sunlight, was nothing more than blackened concrete to him, and the people around him were nothing more than others trying to escape the hells of the place he'd called home for eighteen years.

He sighed as the little boy in the seat behind him kicked the back of his seat, and he tried his hardest to block it out as he thought back to the conversation he'd had with Alyssa, only twenty minutes ago. She'd dropped by the airport to say goodbye, since she hadn't been home when Derek had dropped by earlier.

_- - _

_"She doesn't hate me, Alyssa," Derek said, his head in his hands. "I just know she doesn't. It's something in her voice. It's like she wants to hate me, but she can't. I feel like she thinks she should hate me." _

_Alyssa placed her hand on his knee in an attempt to comfort him. _

_  
"California is going to do you alot of good, okay?" she said, attempting a smile. "A new environment, new girls to date... you'll be back to normal in no time." _

_Derek laughed gently, shaking his head as he looked up at her, sighing. _

_  
"You've never seen me being normal," he said, shrugging. "I'm a good guy when I'm normal. Without Casey, I'm an asshole." _

_She gave him a pointed look, and he gave a defeated sigh, shrugging. _

_"But I guess I could try and get over her, while I'm there," he admitted, trying his best to be positive. "I mean, the whole point of going is to move on. It's worth a try." _

_"Good boy," she said, ruffling his hair. "And I'm gonna come out to see you in about a week and a half, okay? My Mom sends me out there every summer to stay with my aunt, but she really doesn't care if I'm at her place or not. She's usually too busy working to notice if I'm even there, so I can probably stay with you for a few nights." _

_"Sounds good," Derek said, and as his boarding call was announced over the loudspeaker, he sighed, and stood up, straightening out the wrinkles in his sweater. Alyssa extended her arms for a hug, and he grinned, pulling her into his arms. She wrapped her own arms around his neck, and he closed his eyes, sighing. It felt so good to know that someone was going to genuinely miss him; someone cared about him. _

_"I'll miss you, Derek," she said quietly, her voice sad. "You're like, the best friend I've got, here." _

_Derek pulled back a tiny bit, his arms still around her as he tried his best to grin at her. _

_  
"You sure you're gonna miss me?" he questioned, laughing. "I was beginning to think you'd start charging me for your services; you're like a psychologist." _

_She laughed, shrugging. _

_  
"It's gonna be pretty weird not to hear about your Casey troubles for the next week and a half," she admitted, sighing. "But I'm sure you'll have plenty of new problems for me to deal with by the time I get up to Cali to see you." _

_He pulled her back against his chest for one more hug, and he smiled as best as he could. _

_"I'll miss you, Aly." _

_They pulled apart, and he gave her a friendly kiss on the cheek as he picked up his carry-on, and backed up towards security, giving her one last wave. _

- - -

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome aboard flight three sixty nine; destination Los Angeles, California."

Derek sighed, sitting back and closing his eyes. He could only hope that where he was going would be much better than what he was leaving behind.

* * *

**Review to find out what happens next. The next chapter will take place in about a week and a half, when Alyssa comes to LA to visit Derek. There will also be a bit about how Casey is doing without Derek, in the next chapter. So we will get a bit of both perspectives. Anyways, review!**


	21. It's the Vodka Talking

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. **

**Chapter Twenty-One: It's the Vodka Talking**

California was definitely alot warmer than Canada. Derek had only been there once, on a trip with his whole family when he was eight. Marti hadn't been around then, but him and Edwin had definitely had a blast anyway. But living there was another story. He wasn't used to the heat that a California summer brought, to be quite honest, and if you matched that with the fact that he barely left home, it was easily understood that he was overheated day in and day out. He spent most of his time inside his apartment, lofting around on his couch, and enjoying the little bit of relief that the air conditioning allowed him. Of course, the more time he spent inside, the more time he had to think about Casey, and what he'd left behind, but he didn't care. Torturing himself with the memory of her didn't hurt, because he had convinced himself that he was numb to the pain.

He sighed as he rolled over, blowing a damp strand of hair away from his forehead as he lifted his gaze to look at the back door of his apartment, which led out to the balcony. He was on the sixth floor, so he had a pretty decent view of the city. He spent alot of time out there in the evenings, when it was a bit cooler, and the sun had hidden away for the day.

Alyssa was going to be arriving today. In fact, she'd be here any minute. Sadly, to Derek, the only thought that was processing when he thought of her arrival was that he was going to have to get up off of the couch, and get to the door.

When the knock finally sounded, and he knew he had to get up, he pulled himself away from the couch, stumbling to his feet clumsily.

"Coming," he called out roughly, scratching the back of his neck as he straightened out his long sleeve shirt. Before making an appearance, he quickly fixed his hair in the nearby mirror, before pulling open the front door, and grinning as best as he could at his friend.

"Aly," he said, sounding alot more enthusiastic than he felt. "Your flight was earlier than you thought, huh?"

She stepped into the apartment, dragging a single bag behind her, which Derek assumed was the smaller portion of her things she had taken from her aunt's house, to spend a night or two with him.

"Yeah," she said, glancing around his apartment curiously. "We left on time, but the weather was awesome. We got in almost fifteen minutes earlier than they said we would."

"That's good then," Derek said, nodding as he shut the door. "Really good."

She put her bag down, and turned to give Derek a big hug. He grinned, as he came into contact with someone that he actually knew, for the first time in what felt like forever. He hugged her back eagerly, and didn't question when she let the hug last for longer than she normally would've. He just assumed that she had missed him. But when he finally pulled away, he kept one arm around her waist, giving off a thousand different signals without even realizing.

"How've you been doing?" he asked, as he led her over to the couch, seating her down right next to him with his arm still around her waist. "How's Canada?"

She laughed, leaning back as she continued to glance around his apartment, smiling.

"Canada's good," she said, and when he raised an eyebrow, she rolled her eyes, sighing. "-though not nearly as amazing without you, I'm sure."

"Well duh," he mused, and she gave a nod of approval, giving him a surprised look.

"Nice apartment," she noted, sounding impressed. "Where'd you get all the money to buy all of this stuff; Edwin's piggybank?"

"Nah," Derek shrugged, one hand on his knee. "I raided the last of that last month. Mom gave me some cash, to get me started out here. She's worried about her poor little baby, living all the way out here on his own."

Alyssa snorted, glancing at the empty bottles of vodka and coolers that were lined along the kitchen counter, to be thrown out on the next garbage day. It was evident that he'd consumed lots of alcohol, during her absence.

"Yeah, you're really suffering."

He shrugged as he pulled away from her, and leaned forwards, grabbing a pack of smokes off of the coffee table, and fishing a lighter out of his pocket. He stood up, venturing towards the back door that led to the balcony, not noticing the surprised look in her eyes.

"Want one?" he asked stupidly, as he made his way out into the California sunshine, his hair blowing gently in the very faint breeze. She sat there, staring at her friend angrily, before standing up, and crossing the room. She stormed out the back door, and leaned against the railing on the back patio, snatching the package of cigarettes out of his hands. He frowned, giving her a surprised look, and finally, a scowl outlined his features.

"Um, hi?" he questioned, one eyebrow raised. "I was sort of using those."

"Using them?" she asked, apparantly shocked. "Since when do you smoke, Derek?"

He paused, and only then did he realize that he'd never told Alyssa about any of this; the drugs, the weed, the smoking... none of it. He bit his lip, snatching the package back, and taking one out, scowling.

"I just do, okay?" he questioned, his cheeks red with an emotion she couldn't quite pinpoint. "You can't honestly say that your brother never told you about any of the stuff I've gotten off of him."

Her mouth was wide open as she processed his words, and he inhaled slowly on his cigarette as she shook her head, confused.

"You... we... you've been buying stuff off of my brother?" she questioned, and when he nodded carelessly, she gasped. "Derek! How the hell could you do that? If there was one person I expected to stay out of drugs, it would definitely be you. And to get stuff off of my own brother! Is this some new way to get your mind off of Casey? Because I swear to God, if it is-"

"It's not about Casey," he said honestly, shrugging. "I'm not that pathetic, okay? Casey doesn't love me, and she's never going to feel anything like that for me again. She's with Max now, okay?"

Alyssa kept staring at him. This was surely not Derek Venturi, the guy who'd so recently been heartbroken and torn to pieces about his breakup.

"You can't honestly tell me you're okay with any of this," she said, refusing to believe it. When he shrugged, she rushed on. "Derek, you _love_ her. You've told me a million times how much she means to you, and-"

"So I love her!" he said, turning abruptly as his eyes flashed with anger. "Yeah, I do. I can admit that much. I spent the better half of my high school years obsessing over the girl. But you know what? It's over. What would you like me to do? Sit here and bawl my eyes out over it for the next five years? Stay single, because nobody can measure up to her? Torture myself by watching her and Max together? I'm not _that_ pathetic, okay? Do you know what a loser I feel like, when I look back, and see how I've acted? I've been an emotional mess, and for me... that's so out of character. And I'm not going to change who I am, because she broke my heart. I can bounce back; I can move on. This isn't the end of the world, alright? Geez, it's not like we were married, or anything! It was a high school thing, that's all. If she wants to be with Max, let her. I don't give a damn anymore."

Alyssa stood there, wide eyed, as Derek dropped the lit cigarette, cursing under his breath as he coughed, and straightened up.

"But to be honest," he said, blowing out a puff of smoke as he turned away, "I hate smoking."

The corners of her lips turned up gently into a reluctant smile, and she shook her head at him, unable to stop the laughter.

"You say the most random of things, you know that, don't you?" she questioned, and when he shrugged, she went on, sighing heavily. "So you've really had a change of heart since you came out here, haven't you?"

He shrugged, giving a tiny nod as he leaned against the railing, staring out across the rooftops lazily.

"I guess so, yeah," he admitted, his voice casual. "You said it yourself; it was time for a change. I needed new scenery, a new environment, new girls."

"And have you gone out on any dates yet?" she asked, as she leaned back against the sliding door gently. "Met anyone special?"

He paused, before shaking his head honestly, knowing it was best not to lie.

"No, I haven't gone out on a date or anything, yet," he admitted, and she didn't look surprised. "But I haven't even been here two weeks yet. I've been so busy with unpacking, and getting settled away, that I haven't had time to look in a mirror, let alone date."

She nodded, looking understanding.

"That's true," she noted, and he sighed, giving her a tiny grin.

"You want to go out to lunch, or something?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow. "I'll buy."

She pushed herself away from the door, laughing gently as she led the way back into his apartment.

"Well if you're buying, how can I refuse?" she asked, turning around as they stepped into the apartment. She put on a tiny smile, and Derek had to wonder if she was flirting with him as she placed her hand on his chest, shifting a bit closer to him.

"Break out your wallet, Venturi."

- - - -

Casey sighed as she lay back on her bed, staring up at her ceiling. Max was reading a random football magazine that he'd found downstairs, lounging lazily in her computer chair. They were waiting for one of Max's friends, and his girlfriend, to show up, so that they could get a move on. They were going to the lake for the day, but Max's friends had called about twenty minutes before and said that they'd be running a good half an hour late.

Casey had alot on her mind; and she'd be lying if she said that she didn't. Her and Max hadn't been clicking right, all week long. Ever since Derek left, he'd been acting weird. It was like he was more relaxed, but in a weird way. He wasn't as sweet, he didn't pay as much attention to her... and in the long run, it was almost like he had only been acting nice to her to decieve Derek. But of course, that was ridiculous, right? But nonetheless, she had been finding herself growing less and less attracted to Max, and she hated to admit it, but it wasn't all of a sudden. She was really starting to realize that, the more she had been hanging out with Derek, the less time she had been spending with Max, and now? She really had to question if she even loved him as much as she thought she had. Because as horrible as Max had been treating her lately, she had found herself not caring as much as she had. And that scared her, thinking that maybe the guy she thought she wanted to be with, wasn't really the one her heart wanted at all.

But something much worse was weighing on Casey'd mind, right about now, and it had to do with her stepbrother, Derek. She had tried going over to his room later on that night to talk to him. Imagine her surprise when she had found a slightly more empty room, and absolutely no Derek. She had freaked out, initially, not knowing what was going on. But a quick conversation with her mother had told her everything she needed to know. Derek was gone. He had left her here without saying goodbye, and although she didn't want to bring up the topic of breaking his word again, he had broken the most important promise of all, to her. He had promised her that he'd never leave her, and that he'd always be there for her. She had looked around for two days on end, hoping to find a note with her name on it, or anything that would've signalled that he really had left her something to say goodbye. But he found nothing, and it was obvious to her that he had simply left.

And for reasons she'd never understand, she was desperately wanting him back.

"I can't believe he left without saying goodbye," she said quietly, for what felt like the hundreth time that day. "No note, no phone calls, nothing. He just... left."

"Who?" Max questioned, spaced out. When he looked up, and saw her gazing at her ceiling sadly, he rolled his eyes, growling. "Are you still harping on about Derek?"

She propped herself up on her elbows, giving Max a confused look.

"He was one of my best friends, Max," she said, his words annoying her, for some reason. "And if my best friend leaves without saying goodbye, or telling me first, don't you think I'm going to be just a little upset?"

Max shrugged, his gaze returning to the page in front of him.

"It's been almost two weeks," he said carelessly, obviously not giving a damn about Derek. "Get over it already, would you? He wasn't even that great."

Casey glared at Max, feeling anger bubble up inside of her.

"Maybe he wasn't the _best_ person in the world, but he made mistakes, just like everyone else."

When Max didn't even look up, she tested the limits, biting her lip.

"Maybe you've even made a few mistakes," she said, and something in her tone made Max close the magazine, and look up at her suspiciously. He narrowed his eyes, folding his arms across his chest as he glared at her.

"What exactly does that mean, Casey?" he asked, his voice suspicious. "What kind of mistakes are you talking about?"

He was pissed, it was easy to tell, but Casey needed to know if what she had been suspecting could have been right. Derek had been nothing but truthful, up until the last day before he left for California. And if there was one thing that she knew for sure, he cared about her. So why would he make up such a stupid story about Max being abusive, if it wasn't true at all? Maybe he had exaggerated, but Casey had to hear it from Max himself, because she was seriously starting to doubt his honesty. So much that Derek had told her made sense. She had been so crazy about Max, for as long as she could remember. Why else would she have broken it off with him so suddenly, just like that? She didn't buy Max's story about her giving her virginity to him, and honestly, she had never believed his story about why they had broken up. But she had been desperate for truth, for something that she could hold onto in her crazy, messed up life, and at the time, she had been happy that someone was giving her answers, no matter how unbelieveable they were.

Casey drew her knees against her chest, shrugging timidly as she tried her best to avoid looking her angered boyfriend in the eye.

"I've just been wondering," she said slowly, her voice quiet. "I don't want to accuse you of anything wrong, and I definitely don't want you getting mad at me... but I've been wondering if there could've possibly been any truth to what Derek said... about us, about what you did."

His eyes narrowed, and he glared at her, hatred flickering through his eyes as his body tensed, and he leaned forwards in his chair.

"Are you serious?" he yelled at her, and Casey found herself wishing that they weren't the only ones home, and that Max would have a reason to lower his voice. But the kids were at daycamp, and her parents were at work, and Max could yell to his heart's content, if he so desired. And he did, as he shook his head at her, his body shaking with anger.

"You're going to believe your pathetic, whiny, lying, asshole of a stepbrother over_ me_, you're _boyfriend_? The guy who took you back after you went off for eight months with that bastard? I've done so much for you, Casey. I raised you to the top of the social ladder, last year, something you never could've done without me. I was the reason you were voted homecoming queen, at prom last year- something we would've done agai, if you hadn't bailed on me to go to prom with that loser brother of yours."

"He's not a loser, and he's not my brother," Casey said quietly, her chin trembling slightly with fear. Max was seriously scaring her, and she'd be the first to admit it, but she knew that she had to stay strong. She had to fight back. She was a woman, dammit, and a strong one at that. She wasn't about to let some six foot tall monster degrade and threaten her, even if he was her boyfriend.

"Just a sidenote, Max. I didn't need you to be crowned homecoming queen. Me and Derek won it this year, easily."

He stood up, and the chair was knocked over backwards from the pure force of it. Max's fists were clenched as he came towards her, and he curled his fingers around a fistful of her tshirt, yanking her up off of her mattress. For one split, heartbeat second, she thought he was going to hit her, but the second she was on her feet, he released her, and she breathed out a sigh of relief as she searched his eyes, seeing in them something she had never seen before. Brutality, cruelty, and hatred. And she understood, then. Max wasn't the guy she thought he was. Something just didn't feel right, today. She had a weird feeling coming over her, and if there was one thing she had learned in her eighteen years, it was to trust her instincts. And her instincts were telling her that Max was bad news.

"I didn't say a word to you when you said you were going to start being friends with him," he snarled, his eyes ice cold. "I didn't even argue with you when you said you were going to go to prom with him. My friends all told me to watch out, and make sure my girl wasn't sneaking around with Venturi. But I didn't listen to a damn word they said, because I figured I had your committment. But I'm starting to wonder if I was wrong about you. Maybe trusting you around that jerk was a mistake. Tell me, Casey; have you been messing around with Venturi behind my back?"

Casey shook her head, standing her ground as she brought her arms together across her chest, her gaze firm and determined.

"No," she said honestly, proud of herself for being so strong against him. "I haven't done a single thing with Derek that I shouldn't have. I'm loyal, even if I'm starting to think that he's ten times the guy you'll ever be."

She was really testing the waters now, and she knew it, but she tried to ignore it as she put her brave front out there, fighting back for the first time in ages. Boy, did that feel good. Max's chest was heaving as he struggled for much needed oxygen, and his fists were shaking with a longing to hit something, anything. He wanted a release for all this anger he was feeling, but hitting Casey would mean admitting that Derek had been right, and they both knew it. He tried to channel his anger through his words as he shook his head at her, his eyes narrowed.

"The dude dated his sister," he said, giving a choked laugh. "How much of a man can he be, really?"

"I'm not his sister," Casey said defensively. "And I'm really beginning to understand why I preferred him to you. Derek doesn't yell at me. He doesn't make me feel insecure. And you know what? I'm almost regretting leaving him for you."

"Oh yeah?" Max questioned, taking another step towards him. "And why is that, huh?"

She smirked coldly, and shrugged her shoulders as she threw out the comment that she knew would push Max over the edge.

"Because Derek's ten times better than you'll ever be," she got out, her voice confident. "And you want to know something else? I believe Derek when he tells me that I slept with him, first. Because I wasnt ready then, and even now, I can't see myself sleeping with someone like _you._ You're being an absolute jerk, Max. And I really think that maybe Derek was right about you. Maybe you did do all the things he said you did. Maybe-"

She was cut off when he slapped her hard across the face, causing her head to turn quickly. She gasped as her hand automatically flew to her cheek, and she kept her head turned to the side as Max panted for air, his face red with anger, brutality, and absolute superiority.

"_Maybe_," he mocked, as she closed her eyes, taking in what had just happened. "-you should learn when to shut the hell up, and stay out of things that don't involve you."

She was having trouble breathing right. No matter how much she had suspected that he really had been abusive... nothing could've prepared her for what Max had just done. He'd hit her, and although her feelings for him were quickly fading away into nothing, it hurt emotionally, as well as physically. Max was glaring at her, and from outside, a car horn could be heard. Max's friends were here to get them.

He fixed her with one more piercing look, before grabbing her wrist roughly. There was an immediate shift in control, and they both knew who had the power here. With that one hit, Max had gained his power back, and they both knew it. Because, as strong of a fighter as Casey could be, verbally, she was really no match for a six foot tall football player. And, without Derek, she had nobody to turn to to stick up for her. And she knew full well that Max knew this. He was aware of the fact that he held every bit of power in their relationship right now.

He squeezed her wrist tightly, and then slipped his hand down to hers, linking his fingers with Casey's. Giving her hand a tiny squeeze, he nodded at her, the cruelty disappearing from his face almost instantly, as though it were a whole different person holding her hand.

"Come on," he said, nodding towards her bed. "Grab your bag, and let's go."

She frowned, shaking her head as she took her hand away from her stinging cheek. She'd have to make up a lie for the bruise later, she knew, but right now, she couldn't even think about that. All she could process was the fact that Max had just hit her, and now, he was acting like absolutely nothing had happened.

"Derek was right about you," she whispered, feeling like an absolute bitch for calling her stepbrother a liar. "He wasn't lying."

Max gave a bitter laugh, shaking his head at her.

"No, he wasn't. But where's Derek now, huh? He's probably off screwing around with some other girl on the beach. He gave you plenty of chances, and you shot down every last one of them. You're with me now, babe. So grab your things, and let's go."

And as he hauled her towards the door by the hand, she had no choice but to grab her bag off the bed as fast as she could, and trail along behind him, absolutely helpless.

- - - -

"And then," Derek slurred, as he took another gulp of vodka from the bottle. "-and... and then, she gave me a week of detentions, all 'cause I put superglue all over the bottom of her chair. Isn't that funny, Lyss?"

Alyssa gave a slightly drunken laugh, and Derek tilted his head back as he swung his arm lazily across her shoulders, his grin lopsided and giddy.

"You're my bestest friend, Lyssie," he laughed gently. "Bestest, bestest, _bestest._ You know what I'm sayin'?"

"Mhm," she murmered, as she allowed her head to drop back onto Derek's shoulder. "Bestest friends. Gimme that, would you?"

She reached up, taking the bottle of vodka from Derek's hands. He frowned at his empty hands, when he realized that there was no more alcohol in them. Alyssa drank it straight, choking a little on the burning sensation in the back of her throat. She didn't drink a whole lot, but when she did, she never drank anything straight. She always mixed it with something, for she had a very weak stomach. But Derek seemed to be drinking nothing but pure liquor these days, and she had decided to go along with whatever he was willing to do. When Derek was in a good mood, these days, it wasn't worth testing.

"I like California," Derek said, sighing. "Lotsa sun, and beaches, and babes."

"Mmm, what about Casey?" she asked, her eyes falling shut as he rubbed her back gently, his head falling back against the back of the couch. He snorted, giving an amused laugh, though even in his drunken state, recognition and hurt flickered through his eyes at the mention of the girl he had lost to Max. But his mind wasn't functioning at all, and he shrugged, grabbing the bottle from his friend, and taking another gulp.

"Fuck Casey," he got out, wincing as he swallowed. His lips lingered on the bottle for another moment, before he sighed, shaking his head. "Casey don't want me no more, Lyss. Why? I didn't do nothin' wrong."

"Mmm," she said, shrugging. "I know, Derek."

"She don't want me anymore," he repeated stupidly, cringing. He tilted his head down to look at the girl lying against his shoulder. "You want me though, don't ya?"

She nodded her head almost inconcieveably, giggling.

"Yeah," she got out, forgetting for one brief moment what she was agreeig to. "Sure I do, Der. But I'm not Casey."

If she were to say that she was fully out of it, she would be lying. She was drunk, yes, but she hadn't had nearly as much as Derek had. She had the faintest idea of what was going on around her, even if Derek wouldn't know sensibility if it danced naked in front of him, right now. In fact, she was pretty sure that she could stick a mop in her place right now, and Derek would ramble on about his troubles to a cleaning utensil.

"I can always count on you, can't I, Aly?" he laughed, pulling her a little bit closer to him. "Maybe I should listen to you, and just move on from _her_. She don't want me anymore, you told me so."

Alyssa shook her head, tilting her head up to look him in the eye.

"No, that was you that said that," she reminded him, and he looked absolutely confused for a second, before giving a drunken laugh, his breath reeking of alcohol as he nodded his head, his eyes half open.

"Right," he said, nodding. "Okay, Lyss. Where's my vodka?"

Alyssa glanced over the edge of the couch, squinting to see where the bottle had gone, and when she spotted it, she saw that it was empty, it's last contents donated to the cause of Derek's current stupidity.

"Gone," she murmered, and as she tried to lean back again, Derek's grip slipped, and he cursed as he slid down the couch, landing practically on top of her. She half expected him to move, and her breathing hitched in her throat as he regained his composure, squinting at the girl beneath him. His arms were all that were keeping him propped up on either side of him, preventing him from crushing her, but before she knew what was going on, Derek was laughing, but making no efforts to move.

"I fell," he said, and Alyssa giggled along with him, wrapping her arms around her neck. She wanted Derek, she could admit that, but if she had been in her normal state of mind, she would never have the courage to do any of this. But, even if she was only half drunk, it was enough to encourage her forwards, and she grinned up at her friend, raising an eyebrow.

"Brilliant conclusion, Mr. Venturi," she noted, and when she saw that he was inching closer to her, she felt her stomach flutter, and whether it was from the alcohol, or the realization of what he was doing, she wasn't sure. But she knew that it wasn't right. She shook her head, tensing all of a sudden.

"Hold up, bud," she said, her words still slightly slurred. "What are you doing?"

He smirked, raising his eyebrows as he inched even closer to her, a suggestive look on his face.

"What am I doing?" he asked, sounding curious. "l was gonna kiss you, but you won't shut up."

He moved in again, but she froze, her guilt kicking in automatically.

"You love Casey," she reminded him, her mind barely comprehending what she was saying. She wasn't even sure why she was fighting this; she wanted Derek. But something instinctive told her that this was wrong; Derek loved Casey, and she was half aware of the fact that he was using her right now.

But Derek smirked, shaking his head, and she couldn't even pretend not to notice the flicker of pain that flashed through his eyes as he responded to her.

"Like I said," he whispered, his lips right above hers. "Fuck Casey. I've gotta move on sometime."

And that was all it took for Alyssa to give in to what Derek wanted. That was all it took for her to allow him to crash his lips against hers. That was all it took for Derek to make one of the biggest mistakes he'd made in a long time.

* * *

**So I don't need to tell you what happens there, I assume. Anyway, review, and I will update with more. **


	22. No Second Place

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter Twenty-Two: No Second Place**

Derek's head was pounding. He felt like someone had hit him repeatedly in the forehead with a sledgehammer, or something. His stomach was churning unpleasantly, in almost a burning sense. He couldn't even open his eyes, he felt that nauseated. The warmth of the blankets around his body enveloped him, welcoming him to stay awhile longer, before he had to get up and face the rest of the day. He felt his face screw up in confusion; he couldn't even remember coming into his room last night. He thought back, but the last thing he could remember was being on the couch with Alyssa, complaining about Casey. He thought harder, cursing to himself when his head started hurting from all of that heavy thinking. He wasn't a big thinker as it was, but thinking this hard actually hurt. His mind swirled as he managed to bring forth another memory. Blurry, chopped up visions of last night started coming back to him, and he frowned as he remembered the vodka being gone, and laughing with Alyssa, and...

His eyes flew open, and the second they did, he cringed, groaning as his hand flew up to cover his aching eyes.

"Okay," he murmered, his voice whiny. "Too much light."

"Says the guy who's hungover."

Derek slowly opened his eyes, squinting up into the direction where the voice had just come from. His eyes found Alyssa, looking slightly tired, but nonetheless twenty times better than Derek. She was sitting up in his bed, looking down at him with a mixture of amusement, and anxiety, as though she was unsure about what he was going to say. Hell, even he didn't know what to say, right now. This was such a confusing situation, and he still wasn't remembering everything that had happened. But judging by the fact that Alyssa was in his bed, and he was hungover, and she was wearing nothing but an oversized t-shirt, not to mention the fact that he could remember _some_ of what happened... he knew what he had done.

But nonetheless, he felt compelled to ask.

"What happened?" he asked, frowning. "Don't tell me that we..."

She blushed, bowing her head as she nodded slowly, biting her lip to try and distract herself.

"Yeah, we did."

He frowned, leaning back against his pillow, and rubbing his tired eyes.

"Dammit," he murmered, shaking his head. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to... to..."

She placed a hand on his chest, smiling gently as she shook her head to silence him. He shot her a confused look, and her tone was gentle as she spoke up.

"Don't be sorry," she assured him, and he was relieved to hear she sounded honest. "It wasn't my first time or anything. You were drunk... _I_ was drunk. It just happened."

Derek shook his head, not satisfied with this.

"I feel like I took advantage of you, or something," he admitted, feeling ashamed of himself. He looked up at her, frowning slightly. "Is that how you feel about it?"

She saw the worry in his eyes, and she quickly shook her head, dismissing the idea from his mind altogether.

"Absolutely not," she said, wondering if he was regretting this. "I don't feel that way at all. Don't worry, okay? I'm... well, I agreed to it. I'm just as much to blame as you are."

He sighed, closing his eyes as he rubbed his temple with his hand. This was too much to handle in the morning, especially on top of a killer hangover. He just needed a break from it all, a chance to relax, and think some things through. Because right now, everything was rocketing around in his mind like a ping pong ball, and he couldn't even process one thought, before another would come barging through.

"Derek," she said quietly, biting her lip. "Do you... do you regret doing this?"

He opened his eyes, looking up at her with confusion. Of course he regretted this. Was she crazy? He'd just slept with his best friend, and what's more, he was too drunk to remember if they'd...

"Oh God," he choked out, completely steering off topic. "Did we... I can't remember if we..."

He looked her straight in the eye, his gaze serious, and he frowned.

"Did we use protection?"

She bowed her head, blushing, and from that look, he gathered all of the information that he needed to know. His stomach turned unpleasantly, and he felt like he could be sick then and there. His face turned a dangerous shade of white as he lay there, wide eyed, angry with himself. What he had done had been hard enough to face. But now, add in the fact that there might be consequences... and he was absolutely disgusted with himself.

"Well that's just great," he muttered, his voice angry. "That's just real freakin' great, you know? Way to go, Venturi; you screwed up again."

Alyssa's hand found it's way to his chest again, and she shok her head, fixing him with a comforting look.

"Don't say that," she said, her voice sympathetic. "You never screwed anything up. I'm not mad at you... and we can... we can go get that thing... the... the morning after pill, or whatever it is. Okay? Everything's going to be just fine."

Derek thought over what she was saying, and a wave of relief washed over him as he realized that she was right. They could fix this, couldn't they?

"Yeah," he said slowly, warming up to the idea. "Yeah, we can fix this. We'll go get you that pill, so that we know there's no chance of... you know. And me and you, we'll be fine. I mean, we were drunk, it's not like we meant for this to happen. We don't have to let this affect our friendship at all."

At his words, Alyssa looked a little bit put out, though he couldn't imagine why. She frowned slightly, as though she was disappointed, but he dismissed it as nothing other than his mind playing tricks on him, as he watched her nod, and smile gently at her friend.

"Yeah," she agreed, sighing. "Friendship."

And he knew then, why she was disappointed. He knew what she had expected to come from this, and he felt like an idiot, because he hadn't seen it coming at all.

"You aren't sorry this happened, are you?" he asked quietly, his eyes fixed on her disappointed face. "You wanted this."

Panic flickered through her eyes, and she gave him a weird look, frowning.

"What are you... what are you talking about, Derek?" she laughed nervously, stammering on her own words. "Of course I didn't want us to... I mean, we could never..."

When she caught sight of the disbelieving look in his eyes, she knew that she was caught, and she sighed, shrugging her shoulders.

"Okay, so maybe I sort of did want something more to come out of this," she admitted, and Derek nodded as she confirmed what he had already known. "But I sort of guessed that... when you woke up, you'd regret doing this with me. I sort of knew I wasn't the girl you wanted to be with."

"It's nothing against you," he said, reaching up to touch her cheek gently, as he saw her features darken with sadness. "Really, it's not, Aly. You're a beautiful girl, and honestly? Any guy would be lucky to have you as a girlfriend. You're smart, honest, funny, nice... and a pretty good drinking partner."

She smiled a little at that, and he laughed, tilting her chin up so that he could look at her better.

"See?" he questioned quietly, smiling at her. "It's not so bad. And like I said, it's absolutely nothing against you. It's just, right now... I'm at a point in my life where I've realized that... I dunno, maybe I'm not as ready as I thought I was, when it comes to dating. Maybe I still need some time to get over what happened between me and Casey. I thought I was starting to get over it, but I think last night proved to me that I'm not. Because even when I'm here with you... all I can think about is how I used to be with her, and it's not any easier to face than it was a month ago."

She gave a sad smile, nodding with true understanding.

"I guess there's no second place, in love," she said, and Derek placed his hand on her arm gently, out of comfort. "I should've known that all along, and maybe I did... but I understand, okay? I was deluding myself, thinking that last night really meant something to you."

There was hurt evident in her eyes, and in some attempt to evade his own guilt, he turned his head ever so slightly to the right, a frown touching his lips as his cheeks blushed red with shame. In that moment, Derek recognized how his life had spiralled out of control. Things had turned crazy when he'd smashed into the car that Casey had been driving, and it was still going. He felt like there was some whirlwind of misfortune that kept sweeping through his life, trying again and again to take anything and everything that had once meant something to him. And he hated admitting that there wasn't much he cared about, anymore. Four months ago, his life had been absolutely perfect. He had been perfectly happy, taking advantage of the fact that he had the best girlfriend in the world, a girl who loved him, despite his flaws. And yeah, he could recognize that he had his flaws. But for whatever reason he'd never understand, Casey had been in love with him, and the thought of that had been so amazing to Derek, that he'd never bothered to cherish it. He'd just accepted her as a part of his life, and he figured he didn't have to worry about losing her. But now that he had, he was regretting every single time he'd fought with her, when they were together, and every single harsh word he'd ever said to her. He'd take it all back in a moment, even if she couldn't remember those cruel, thoughtless words now. Because every moment he had ever wasted with her, was a moment he wished he could take back, and do over. He'd give for just ten seconds of Casey's affection, right about now. If she could have her memory back for one day, for one hour, for one _minute_, he would be happy. Just to hear her say that she still loved him, despite all he'd done... he'd be a very happy guy, and he'd learn to appreciate her more.

But he knew that none of that was going to happen, and now, he was stuck here in this tiny apartment, in a country where he didn't know a single person. He was luring himself into a false sense of happiness and security by throwing his money and dignity to drugs and alcohol. And yes, he'd gone back to drugs. He'd tried to stay off of them, for the sake of his promise to Casey, but it had occured to him, after a few days, that Casey didn't give a damn. Casey was in Canada, with Max. Where she wanted to be. She had Max to make her happy, and she probably didn't care what her stepbrother did anymore. Derek hated to admit it, but he was beginning to doubt that she would even spare a thought towards him, anymore. She'd probably accepted that he was gone, and if she knew that Derek was in another country, doing cocaine, or smoking a joint, who's to say that she'd even care?

So he'd do what came naturally to him now. He'd smoke and drink, he'd waste his money on drugs, and he'd throw himself towards girls who meant nothing to him, girls who were looking for nothing more than a good time, a physical attraction, a one night stand. Of course, sleeping with his best friend was something that he'd never intended to happen. Sleeping with random girls was, although not entirely right, better than sleeping with Alyssa. Any other girl, he could leave behind in an instant, and never see again. But Alyssa, he had to deal with her. He did care about her, and that meant that he wasn't about to stop talking to her, simply because they'd make a mistake, when they were drunk.

Gathering his courage, he sighed, and glanced over at her, one shoulder raising in a casual shrug.

"It's not that it didn't mean anything," he admitted, his tone emotionless. "It just didn't mean what something like that should've meant. All it meant to me was that I had one more night that I wasn't torturing myself with thoughts of her with _him_."

"Max, you mean?" she questioned, and a wordless nod was the only response that she received from her friend. She raised her arms up to rest on her knees, and rested her chin against her arm as she shrugged, unsure of what to say to him. How do you help someone who was absolutely blinded by his own mistakes?

"I don't know what to tell you, Derek," she said, shaking her head. "But I want you to look me in the eye, and tell me that nothing between us is going to change, after this. You're my best friend, and I don't want everything to get awkward between us, just because of what happened last night. If you want to forget about it, then that's what we'll do, alright? I just need you to promise me that we aren't going to let this affect our friendship."

He smiled at her, laughing gently. Alyssa was one of the best friends he'd had in a long time. A friend like her didn't come along too often, and if she thought he was going to let her out of his life that easily, she was absolutely crazy.

"I promise you, nothing will change," he assured her, wrapping his arm around her shoulder as her head dropped into his chest silently. "I love you, okay? You're an amazing friend, and I care about you way too much to let something like this come in between what we have."

He kissed her gently on the cheek, his lips lingering there for a second as he glanced out the window, his eyes falling on the morning sky. The clouds were out, and the sun could be seen peeking through them, straining to let their rays shine down on the city below. Derek sighed as he thought about Casey, and wondered if she would feel this empty, should she sleep with Max.

- - - -

Casey hated camping. She had always hated camping. Her mother and father had taken her and Lizzie on camping trips every single summer until the girls had grown sick of them, around the time Casey was eleven. Of course, Lizzie had never really grown sick of it, for she was a nature girl at heart, but Casey had been too scared of the insects, and roughing it wasn't really her style. When she was three, she had burned her finger trying to roast a marshmallow. When she was five, the tent had collapsed on her. When she was seven, she had stepped on a red ant's nest, and wound up spending the rest of the trip inside the tent, terrified to come out. That hadn't worked out too well, because a bee had gotten into the tent, and she had wound up getting stung.

And when she was eighteen, she had gotten stuck camping with the worst boyfriend in the history of the world. Okay, so they weren't in a tent; they were in a cabin, with two of Max's friends, and one of his friend's girlfriends. They had electricity, and running water, and really, you could barely call it camping. It was Max's father's cabin, and everyone knew how much money their family had. The place was downright luxurious, and it was all theirs for the next two weeks.

But as Casey lay on the bed in the room her and Max were sharing, her arms folded as she stared at the ceiling, she wished she were three, and burning her finger, or five, and having a tent fall on her head. Hell, right now, she'd even settle for the red ant's nest and the bee sting. Anything to get her away from the monster. That was what she referred to Max as, these days, because that's what he was. The guy was a complete asshole. With Derek gone, and with his abusive side known to her again, he saw no reason to play nice with her. The compliments he had once showered her with were long gone, and the only comments he made about her now were crude, nasty ones, or else ones that were laced with sexual innuendo, which his friends seemed to perceive as a joke of some sorts, something to laugh about.

Casey saw nothing funny about this. If it was up to her, she wouldn't even be going, but Max could be very, _very_ persuasive when he wanted to be. It only took a tough enough grip, enough threats, and a good few curse words to get her to give into this stupid little camping trip. So she had reluctantly tagged along. They'd arrived that morning, and so far, Casey had done nothing but hole herself up in the bedroom that he'd showed her to. Hey, he'd said she had to go; he didn't say she had to _enjoy _it.

"Sooking about your stepbrother turned ex-lover, again, _Case_?" Max sneered, as he appeared in the doorway, smirking at her. Casey's body tensed as he slipped into the room, closing the door behind him. She sat up, backing up as far against the wall as she could possibly go. Any bit of distance that she could put between Max and herself was a blessing in disguise.

"I thought you'd get over him, eventually," Max seethed, grinning as he moved towards the bed, his eyes flickering with the desire to torment her aa little more. "I'm sure he's over you, by now. He's probably had about fifty girls, since he got to California, you know. Those beaches are crawling with chicks in bikinis. And you know Derek... he loves revealing clothing."

She eyed him suspiciously, and he raised an eyebrow, laughing.

"What? Surely you're not jealous, are you?"

"Just because I think Derek's a good guy, doesn't mean I like him like that," she said quietly, shaking her head. "I don't. He's my friend."

Max laughed, sitting down on the bed beside her, and placing a hand gently on her knee. She squirmed uncomfortably, but he took no notice as he moved closer to her, shrugging.

"Whatever you say, Casey."

Some of his bitterness seemed to wear off, and Casey was almost surprised when he nodded towards the door, a suggestive look in his eyes.

"You want to come down to the lake?" he asked, and she frowned, waiting for the catch, for she knew there had to be one. "We're all gonna go swimming for an hour or two. It's warm up here; you'd probably like it better in the water."

Casey shook her head, biting her lip as she drew her knees closer to her chest. The hoodie she had on was Derek's, and she was hoping that Max would take no notice to this little fact. She wasn't even sure why she was wearing it, but she felt like she needed him around, in some sense. And even though it was just his hoodie, she could smell him off of it, and she could remember him hugging her while wearing this hoodie, a few short weeks ago.

"I don't feel much like swimming," she informed him, trying her best to act normal. "Thanks for asking, though."

"I wasn't asking," he said, any sign of humanity disappearing off of his face again. "You're coming down there with us, Casey. I didn't bring you up here with us so you could sit around in this room and mope the whole time."

"I just don't want to go right now, okay, Max?" she said, her throat hurting as she fought back tears. She felt trapped, and she felt like she had absolutely no control over her own life right now. And to a control freak like Casey, that was absolutely terrifying.

"I've got a headache."

He studied her carefully, and she waited anxiously, barely daring to so much as breathe as she waited for a reaction from him. His eyes squinted, and for a brief moment, she thought that he was going to freak out at her, and make her come with him. But he merely nodded, softening a little as he shifted away from her, sighing.

"Okay," he said, and she frowned, wondering why he was giving into her so easily. "I can grab you a Tylonol or something. My parents keep a whole kit of that stuff downstairs, in the other bathroom."

She was taken aback by his kindness, and by the sudden display of the Max she had loved, the guy she actually liked.

"Thanks, Max."

She smiled at him a little bit, though it was vaguely forced, and he gave a gruff nod, standing up again.

"You can stay back for now, but if you have all afternoon to rest, it means you're going to be doing whatever we're doing tonight," he said, and she frowned, as his usual self came back to life. "So I don't want to hear any excuses later, got it?"

She nodded, knowing that it was best not to argue, and knowing that she'd wind up looking for excuses later, to get her out of whatever it was Max wanted her to participate in. Just because he had dragged her along, didn't mean that she had to hang out with him and his loser friends. She didn't even like his friends, all that much. The girl, Laurie, seemed okay, but she was quiet, and mainly kept to herself. The two guys were just downright idiots, and laughed along with whatever Max said. Casey didn't know it, but these were two of the guys who had been at the basketball court on the day that the cops had intervened between Max and Derek.

He leaned over, and Casey winced as he pressed his lips against hers, his hands resting lightly on her hips. He pushed her back gently against the bed as he tried to deepen the kiss, but keeping this up was the furthest thing from Casey's mind, right now. She didn't even bother to kiss him back as she just waited for him to pull away, and leave.

And when he did, she sat and waited. She listened to him talking to his friends as he retreated from the loft that the hallway was located on. She listened to him chatting with his friends downstairs. She listened to him gather up his belongings, and when she finally heard the door close, and the cabin's occupants head down to the lake, laughing, she let her body relax with relief. She rolled her eyes at the thought that Max hadn't brought her a Tylonol, like he'd promised, but she didn't much care; she didn't even have a headache.

She glanced over at her cellphone, biting her lip gently. She'd bribed Edwin to get Derek's new number, in California. She had dialed it into her phone so many times that it was imprinted into her brain, and she rather felt that, even in her old age, she'd be able to recite this number off the top of her head. She had dialed it nearly fifty times already today, tempted to call him and apologize for not believing him, but she always chickened out at the last minute. What good would calling Derek do her, now? He was trying to move on; she shouldn't try and worm her way back into his life now, just to cause him more trouble. Besides, what if Max was right? What if he did have other girls now, and he didn't want to be bothered by his ex-girlfriend? Casey told herself not to worry about it, because she shouldn't care if Derek dated any other girls. She didn't like him like that. Hell, she didn't even like Max like that anymore. Not this Max, anyway. The Max she had actually liked had been a fake all along, and if this was the real him, she had no interest in him whatsoever. If she didn't fear for the consequences so badly, she would've broken up with him already. But as strong as she was, verbally, she didn't have near enough physical strength to try and defend herself against Max. Maybe if Derek had still been around, she would've been able to, but he wasn't, and now, she was trapped in this hell she called a relationship.

But Derek had always told her that he would be willing to listen, when she needed help. Derek would want to know what Max was doing to her. She knew he would.

She picked up her cellphone, taking a deep breath as she dialed the digits off by heart. She prepared herself, as she realized she had absolutely no idea what she was going to say to him.

But as the phone rang for the third time, she knew she'd have to think of something.

- - - -

For what felt like the tenth time that day, the phone rang in Derek's apartment. He groaned as he took a sip of his soda from the can that was sitting next to him on the counter. Alyssa, from her spot on the couch, craned her neck to glance at the caller ID box. She bit her lip as she read the name, and looked back at Derek, who was sitting up on the counter, feet against the side of the fridge as he took a handful of potato chips from the bag resting on his upper legs.

"Casey again," she reported, for the sixth time since the day before. "Derek, maybe you should answer it. She's been calling you since yesterday afternoon. There's obviously something up."

Derek brushed the crumbs off of his shirt as he shook his head, frowning at the phone as though it possessed some sort of sickness, that was easily spread.

"No way," he said, refusing to believe it. "She probably just managed to get my phone number, and now she wants to call and yell at me for leaving without saying goodbye. Forget it. I left so that I wouldn't be interfering with her life anymore, remember? I left so that she could be happy with Max, without me getting in the way. We need a clean break. I can't get involved in her life again. If I was going to talk to her, I could've just stayed in Ontario, and been perfectly miserable there."

"But Derek," she interjected, her gut instinct telling her that he should pick up the phone.

"Forget it," he said stubbornly, his gaze determined as he stared at the phone, dying to pick it up. That one little hunk of plastic could connect him to Casey, in the tiniest of ways. He would be able to hear her voice, for the first time in almost two weeks. He could hear how she was doing, apologize for leaving her like that... make things right again. But that would make leaving in the first place seem pretty pointless.

"We're better off not talking at all."

The phone stopped ringing then, and as his heart sank, he forced a smile, giving Alyssa a knowing look.

"See? She hung up. She'll get the point eventually."

- - - -

"Who were you calling, just now?"

Casey backed herself up against the wall of the bedroom, her cellphone, the one line that connected her to any form of support, clutched desperately in her right hand.

"No one important, I promise," she lied, shaking her head at him. "Just trying to call Lizzie to see how she's doing. She had that soccer game this morning, and she was really nervous about it, and-"

"Liar," Max accused, seeing right through her web of deception easily. "Your sister called you three hours ago to tell you she won her game, remember? I was there, I heard you talking to her."

Casey bit her lip as she mentally slapped herself for being such a horrible liar, when she was in tricky situations like this. She held her cellphone tighter, until her knuckles turned white, and she shook her head at Max, her brown hair falling in messy strands across her eyes.

"It's none of your business who I'm calling," she said, trying to defend herself. "It's my phone, and it's my friends, and I can call whoever I want to call."

Max narrowed his eyes at his girlfriend as he thought over what she had just said. Casey rarely had the guts to stand up to him, and when she did, he didn't really listen to half of the things she said to him. But right now, he understood that when she made up excuses like that, it meant she had been calling Derek, and that was something that he wasn't willing to take.

In a flash, he had made a desperate grab for her cellphone, his hands wrestling with hers as he struggled to uncurl her fingers from the device.

"God dammit, Casey," he said, as she gripped onto the phone as though it were a lifeline. "Give me the damn thing, before you wind up breaking something here."

They crashed onto the bed as they fought over the cellphone, and Casey made a mental note to herself that this was the first time she had actually physically defended herself against Max. Sure, he wasn't hitting her, yet, but she was making an attempt to defend something that was hers, and that was involving a physical struggle. She struggled to breathe as Max managed to pin her down, and his elbow drove against her chest painfully. Whether this was an accident, she didn't know, but nonetheless, she needed air.

"Get off of me," she gasped, as she struggled to breathe. "Max, you idiot..."

"Give me the phone, Casey."

"No," she murmered, her face turning red as she took in what little oxygen reached her lips. Sure, this hurt, but she was scared of what he'd do when he saw the long distance number on her phone. But it came down to giving him the phone, or breathing, and when she was faced with that choice, she chose air. She could always try and sneak the phone back later.

Her fingers released the phone, and Max went tumbling to the other side of the bed as he smirked, sitting up, red in the face from their struggle. Casey was glad to see that she had at least worn him out a bit. Her chest rose and fell as she took in giant gasps of air, relieved for the tiny bit of breath she was now receiving. She watched helplessly as Max flipped open her phone, and went directly to her call history.

And as his jaw clenched, and he turned his head towards her in an angry glared, she gulped. She was really in trouble, now.

* * *

**Review, to read more. **


	23. Ontario

**Disclaimer: I do not own. **

**Chapter Twenty-Three: Ontario**

Derek missed her. He'd be crazy to say that he didn't. He had been trying to hide the fact that he missed having her around, and talking to her, touching her, seeing her... but he'd only been lying to himself, and he knew it. He'd left Ontario with good intentions; to let the girl he loved more than anything be happy with the guy that _she_ loved. But this whole 'doing the right thing' business? Yeah, it wasn't working out so well for him. He didn't just want her there, he _needed _her there. Even having her around as a friend was better than not having her at all. He wasn't going to sook and whine, and say that he couldn't go on without her, because that wasn't true. He wasn't that dependant on her; he could take care of himself. He just wasn't going on _well_ without her. Having her around was the only motivation he had in his life anymore. And without her, he had nobody to take care of, nobody to look after.

And he missed her.

"Derek, you're hurting," Alyssa said to him, as he leaned against the windowsill, feet propped up in front of him as he stared out at the evening sky, frowning. "Just _call_ her, please! I can't stand seeing you like this anymore. You're mopey, and you're depressed, and you're not the Derek Venturi that I know."

He shrugged, his eyes fixed on one random rooftop. He squinted at it, wondering who lived there, what they were doing, if they were as broken as him right now.

"She's moved on," he said quietly, shaking his head. "This is for her good, not mine."

"She's called you_ how_ many times?" Alyssa cried, standing up from her spot on the couch, and giving him an incredulous look. "Dammit, Derek. It's times like today when I could just kill you for being so freakin' stubborn. The girl you love is quite obviously desperate to get ahold of you; you want to talk to her, and yet you're so insistant on torturing yourself, that you won't find the decency to return her phone calls, not one of them."

Derek turned his head, his eyes blank as he blinked at her, taking in everything she had just said. She could tell she had his attention, and she decided to take advantage of that. Taking a deep breath, she went on.

"Just see what she wants," she said, her voice quiter this time. "It can't do you any harm to give her a call. At least you'll know why she needed to get ahold of you so badly."

Derek shrugged, and pulled himself up from the window ledge, sighing. He straightened out the wrinkles in his shirt, and brushed a few strands of hair away from his eyes.

"Maybe later," he put in, no emotion in his voice whatsoever. "I'm going to go get a quick shower, okay?"

She hesitated, but nodded, knowing that there was going to be no arguing with him, at this point.

"Okay," she said, sighing. "Go on."

Maybe she could convince him to call Casey, later.

- - - -

Casey was sitting casually at the kitchen table in the cabin, her arms folded across her chest as she leaned back into her chair, not paying attention. There was a flury of activity around her, and yet she was paying attention to absolutely nothing that anyone was saying. Nobody was addressing her, of course, because she had a good feeling that nobody really cared if she was there, or not. She was just Max's girlfriend, and Max was concentrating too much on his bottle of beer to say much to her. He wasn't drunk, but it was easy to tell that he had a slight buzz from what he had drank so far. He was a little bit too giddy to be completely sober. His friends were drinking too, though Laurie had opted not to drink, and had gone up to bed a good half an hour before. Casey had tried doing the same, but it wasn't as easy under the penetrating stared of an abusive boyfriend. She was already sore from before. She had really gotten it when Max had pieced together that the long distance number on her phone had been Derek's new phone number. He was smart; he hadn't hit her anywhere where his friends would see the bruises, and question it. Casey had a feeling that his friends knew full well what went on anyway, but they probably felt that it was none of their business to get involved in their friend's love life.

"Have a beer, Case," Max said, nudging her gently as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder, grinning stupidly. "Can't hurt, can it?"

Casey shifted uncomfortably under his hold, not really appreciating the "kind" gesture.

"No thanks," she said, shaking her head. "I'm not much of a beer drinker, really. But thanks for offering. Can I go to bed now?"

Max glared at her, annoyed with her constant need to be alone, or to escape from him. She didn't see what he was worried about; it's not like she could run off on him, if she went upstairs. He'd be able to see her leave through the front and back doors, if she had tried to leave. She just didn't want to be sitting around with Max and his friends. She could tell that he was going to argue with her about it, but just as he opened his mouth to speak, one of Max's friends, Jesse, nodded his head at Max, shrugging one shoulder carelessly.

"Let her go, Max," he said, his words slightly slurred as he paused to take a sip of his beer. "Once she's gone, we can have a men's night."

Casey wasn't sure whether or not she was offended, or thankful for the guy's interference, but the second that defeat flickered through Max's eyes, she knew that she was grateful, and she wanted nothing more than to wrap her arms around Jesse and give the guy she barely knew a very big hug.

"Alright then," he said, a warning look in his eyes as he looked at his girlfriend. "I'll be right back, too. I've got to run up and grab my sweater; it's kind of cold down here."

He was lying through his teeth, and Casey knew it. He grabbed her hand, not roughly, but gently, and he led the way up the stairs that led to the loft, and into the hallway that led to their room. He pushed the door open, but the second he had done so, there was really no need to be gentle with her. He dropped her hand, closing the door as he pushed her towards the bed. She sat down on the foot of the bed, looking up at him as he took a few steps towards her, his eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Your cellphone is on that endtable," he said, his voice laced with warning as he nodded towards the endtable where her cellphone lay. "I'm leaving it here with you, only because I know your mother calls to check up on you at the most random of times, and the last thing I need is her worrying that something happened to you. She'd probably be up here within an hour, flat. Point is, I'm trusting you with your phone, but you had better not use the damn thing to call Venturi. If I see you have, I'm not gonna be happy."

His voice was so threatening, and Casey just couldn't understand how someone who had claimed to love her so much, could act like this. She shook her head at him, her eyes filled with hurt as she tried her best not to cry. She wasn't going to cry; that would make her weak, in his eyes.

"Why do you have to be like this?" she choked out, her voice broken. "You told me you loved me, Max. We were so great together, and you treated me so good. And now, it's like you hate me."

Max laughed, shrugging his shoulders as he stuffed his hands into the sweater of the hoodie he'd just shoved on over his head.

"I do hate you," he said, as though it were no big deal. She expected a comment like that to hurt, but it didn't; all it did was cause more confusion to erupt in her.

"If you hate me, why are you with me?" she asked, shaking her head. "Why did you take me back in the first place? Why don't you just let me go?"

He backed up towards the door, a cruel smirk touching against the corners of his lips as he shrugged carelessly, his voice void of emotion as he spoke again.

"Simple," he said, amusement in his voice as he reached behind him for the door handle. "I hate Derek, and I love having control. By staying with you, I get to watch him suffer, and I have control over you."

He turned to leave, a satisfied smirk on his face, and Casey felt a newfound sense of anger well up inside of her as she looked at the jerk's back. She wanted to hit him; she wanted to punch him until he couldn't remember his own name anymore. How she would love to watch him suffer as much as she was, right now.

"Get one thing straight, Max," she said, before she even thought about what she was saying. He turned, frowning, and she shook her head, her voice as strong as possible in the situation such as this one. His eyes were curious as he watched her, waiting for her to finish. She drew in a deep breath, and finished what she had started.

"You don't have control over me," she said bravely, feeling proud of herself. "You like to think you do, but you don't. Sure, you intimidate me, but I can control my own actions."

Max stared at her for a moment, as though contemplating whether or not he should make her pay for answering back to him, but he must have decided that it wasn't worth it. Either way, he snorted, and turned away from her, closing the door behind him. Casey listened to his footsteps going down the stairs, and she felt her chest heaving as she struggled to breathe properly. She was so mad, she was practically seeing red. And as she heard a drunken laugh come from Max downstairs, she let out a low growl, and stormed across the room, snatching her cellphone up off of the endtable.

"He doesn't control me," she hissed bitterly as she dialed Derek's number again. She had some _serious _apologizing to do to that guy.

- - - -

Alyssa's eyes began to fall shut as she lay on Derek's couch, staring blankly at the television. There was nothing good on, and she had muted the thing long before. She merely watched the image on the screen change constantly, and she stifled a yawn as she shook her head, and flicked the TV off, something she should've done long before. She was just considering taking a nap until Derek was finished in the shower, when the phone next to her head rang. Without even thinking, she reached over and pressed the talk button, her eyes widening as she realized who was probably on the other line.

"Hello?" she said, closing her eyes as she prayed that she hadn't just answered one of Casey's calls; Derek would absolutely kill her.

There was a moment of silence, before Casey's voice came over the other end uneasily, quiet and confused.

"Um, who is this?"

_'Shit,'_ Alyssa thought to herself, biting her lip. _'Derek is going to be so mad at me, when he hears about this.'_

But she tried her best to stay positive as she sighed, knowing that she had to answer Casey eventually.

"It's Alyssa," she said, her voice set in a false sense of happiness. "Remember me?"

"Right," Casey said, realization in her voice as she evidently remembered who the girl was. "Um, not to be rude or anything, but what are you doing in California? I do have the right number, don't I?"

"Yeah, yeah you do," Alyssa said quickly, not wanting Casey to hang up. "This is Derek's apartment. I'm staying here right now, actually."

It didn't occur to her that mentioning that she was really here to see her aunt would've been a good idea. All she was thinking of was keeping Casey on the line until Derek got out of the shower. Maybe she could convince him to talk to her, if he knew she was already on the line. She sighed, and ran a hand through her hair as she listened to the taps turn off in the bathroom, indicating that Derek was done in there. He would be out soon, she knew.

"Is everything okay?" she asked, sensing the girl's troubled voice. "We, um... we know you've called a few times."

Casey frowned; they had been home when she had called? Why had Derek ignored her like that? He was supposed to be there for her, wasn't he? He had promised that, whenever she needed him, he would help her. Well, she definitely needed help right about now. Where was Derek when she needed him? Apparantly, relaxing with Alyssa in California. A sick feeling washed through her stomach, and she tried not to let it bother her as she realized this probably meant Derek and Alyssa were together, now. She should've seen that one coming from a mile away. He had to move on, eventually.

"Everything's... it's..." she tried to get out, and Alyssa waited nervously as she listened to the girl's anxious voice. "It's fine, I guess. You know what? I shouldn't even be bugging Derek with this sort of thing. He moved to start over, and... and he's got you to take care of now. Maybe I should just be dealing with my own problems, right? Derek isn't responsible for me."

Alyssa could hear the defeat in Casey's voice, and she tensed as she realized that Casey was admitting that there was a problem. She was straight out telling her that she did, indeed, need help. But she had some crazy idea in her head that Alyssa and Derek were together, and Alyssa could tell that she was about to end this conversation, and she wasn't about to let that happen.

"No, Casey," she said quickly, as the bathroom door opened, and Derek's footsteps could be heard walking back towards the living room. "Hold on a second, I-"

But she trailed off as she heard a voice in the background, angry and frustrated.

"What the hell did I tell you?" it yelled, and she heard a sharp intake of breath that she supposed was Casey. "Get off the god damn phone; I don't want you calling him!"

"Give it-" Casey started, and there was the sound of shuffling in the background, as the two of them began wrestling for the phone.

"Casey?" Alyssa questioned, worry in her voice as she heard muffled argument in the background of the fight. "Casey, are you-"

And then, the line went dead. She felt her chest tighten, and her heart skip a beat as she sat there in horror, worried about what she had just heard on the other line. She sat there with her mouth open, her hand clenched tightly around the phone. And then, she heard Derek's voice speak up behind her, anxious.

"That's Casey?"

She turned around quickly to see Derek standing there, still wet from his shower. He had a towel draped lazily over his shoulders, resting against his tshirt as beads of water dripped from his hair, onto the cloth. She quickly hung up, letting the phone drop onto the couch beside her. She stood up, clasping her hands together in front of her as she bit her lip, giving him an anxious look. How do you explain to someone that the person they loved more than anything was in trouble, thousands of miles away?

"Derek," she said slowly, taking a step towards him as he froze, recognizing that there was something wrong. His eyes widened, and she could see his cheeks pale as he watched Alyssa nervously, his stomach clenching sickeningly.

"What is it?" he asked, his voice shaking knowingly as he waited for her to tell him what he didn't want to hear. "What's wrong with Casey?"

She came to a stop in front of him, looking up into his eyes as she struggled to find the right words.

"I... I don't know what's wrong, really," she said, shaking her head at him. "But I've got a good idea. She was rambling on about not wanting to bother you with her problems, but I can tell something's wrong, if she's saying that she can solve it herself. And then she stopped talking, and a guy came in and started yelling, and-"

That was all it took for Derek to snap. He practically shoved her out of the way as he made a mad dash for the phone, grabbing it desperately in his hands.

"What the hell is that bastard doing to her?" he got out, his voice rough and uneven, shaky and scared, yet angry and murderous all at once. "What was he saying?"

He didn't even give her a moment to respond, before he had turned around, his eyes flashing angrily as he stepped directly in front of her, his breath quick and panicked.

"What did he say to her?" he repeated, his voice tense. "Dammit, Alyssa."

He wasn't mad with her, and she knew not to take offense to his sudden angry streak. He was obviously just frustrated by the fact that Casey was apparantly in trouble, and he didn't have any possible way to help her, from where he was. But the least she could do was give him all the information she had, so she gripped his arm gently, trying to relax him.

"First off, breathe," she instructed, and although he seemed annoyed with her for stalling, he relaxed a little, trying to release his body of the anger he was feeling. "Secondly, he came in and started yelling at her about using the phone. He said that he had told her she wasn't allowed to be calling anyone, especially you, and... and then she started to argue back, but I guess he tried to take the phone from her, because there was alot of fighting in the background, and I think they were wrestling over the phone, and then the line... it went dead."

Derek stared at her for a moment, before pulling out of her grasp, and dialing Casey's cellphone number frantically, the phone pressed to his ear as he hurried off towards his bedroom, Alyssa following along behind him quickly, confused as to what he was about to do.

"Alright, what are you doing?" she asked, as he hung up the phone, cursing as he tossed it onto his bed violently.

"God dammit," he muttered, as he ran the towel through his hair again, all the while rummaging through his closet for something.

"Derek, what are you doing?" she repeated, her hand propped up against wall as she watched him slip into his black jacket quickly, his eyes panicked as he hurried over towards his dresser, where he kept all of his jeans and pants.

"What do you think I'm doing?" he asked, raising an eyebrow as he grabbed a pair of jeans from his top drawer, hauling them on as quickly as possible. He zipped up the zipper, not even bothering to check his appearance in the mirror as he adjusted his collar, and slipped his sneakers on.

"I'm going to help Casey."

He hurried past her, and Alyssa stared after him, eyes wide open as she realized what he was doing.

Derek was going back to Ontario.

* * *

**So Derek is obviously going to catch the next plane back to Ontario. Once he gets there, he is going to have to try and find his way to where she is, since she's in a cabin in the woods. If you want to read what happens next, review and let me know what you thought. Happy weekend. **


	24. In Derek's Arms

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter Twenty-Four: In Derek's Arms**

Derek absolutely hated flying. When he was younger, and he used to go on airplanes with his family, he had enjoyed the lengthy rides to and from different destinations. He'd snacked on those mini packages of peanuts, he'd kicked the seat in front of him, he'd pretended to barf in his barf bag just to gross people out, and him and Edwin had attempted to play a game of hide and seek once, though that had just landed them in trouble. But now that he was older, he found the rides long and boring, tiring and uneventful. And when he was anxious to get back and get to Casey, he was even more irritable. He'd nearly bitten off the flight attendant's head when she had asked him if he'd like a drink. He wasn't trying to be mean, he was just worried. His phone had to be turned off on the plane, obviously, so he couldn't even attempt to call her again. He'd tried about twelve times in the airport, but he kept getting a message that said her phone was turned off. And he hated admitting it, but he was terrified of what had happened to her.

He had shown up at the airport with no luggage, no carry-on baggage, nothing. He had his cellphone, his IPOD, and his wallet, and that was all he needed. He had clothes back at home that he could use, and he had called Ralph when he was at the airport, asking him if he could possibly come pick him up at the airport, and if he could borrow his car for the night. Ralph had made him promise about fifty times not to crash the car, considering Derek's previous offenses, and once Derek had snapped at him, he'd agreed to meet him at the airport in a couple of hours, and Derek would pay a cab fee to send him home. He obviously understood how urgent this was.

The plane finally landed at around eight thirty at night, local time. He didn't have to stand around and wait for baggage, a blessing in disguise, he felt. He hurried straight out into the warm summer's evening, getting a taste of Canadian air for the first time in what felt like forever.

But he had wasted no time on silly little things like the air. No, Derek had hurried straight to Ralph's car the second he had spotted it, and had given Ralph a fifty, not even caring about the change. Ralph had handed over the keys, and wished him good luck, and now, he found himself at his parent's house, the first place he could think of to look. He had spent the whole car ride trying Casey's cell again and again, but it was obvious that she wasn't going to pick it up, or turn it on, for that matter. It worried Derek that her phone was suddenly off, after a confrontation with Max.

He slammed the car door, and practically ran up to the front steps of the home he'd grown up in, knowing full well that his parents were going to be shocked to see him. He wasn't planning on explaining everything to them; just the short-handed version of what had really gone on.

He burst in through the front door, and when he stumbled into the living room, he was met with the surprised stares of the entire family, who were sitting around the living room watching TV. Marti's eyes went wide with excitement, Lizzie looked confused, and their parents looked like they were half confused, half ecstatic. But Edwin's gaze was what really shook him, because Edwin didn't look as surprised as the rest of them. He looked almost... proud of his older brother, for some reason.

"_Derek_?" Nora questioned, her voice confused and lost. "What are you-"

"Smerek!"

Before Derek could say anything, the little girl had raced towards her older brother, and jumped into his arms. As rushed as Derek was, he could never turn away his baby sister, so he forced out a smile for her sake, and wrapped his arms around her, lifting her up into his hold gently. He kissed the side of her head, trying his best to give her a warm greeting.

"How's my Smarti?" he asked, surprised that she didn't hate him for leaving on her. He leaned in, his lips near her ear as he whispered the words just for her.

"I'm really sorry for leaving on you, okay?" he said, and he saw her lower lip quivering as she was obviously reminded of what had happened. "You know I still love you."

"I know," she whispered, and Derek managed to genuinely smile for a moment, for the affection in his little sister's voice was so obvious. But it only took another mention of his name from Nora to snap him back to attention, and he remembered why he was back in Ontario in the first place, and why he was in such a hurry.

"What are you doing here?" George asked, shaking his head as he gave his son a shocked look. "You didn't mention-"

"I'll explain later," he dismissed, shaking his head. "Where's Casey?"

Everybody but Edwin looked surprised, and George and Nora shared a tiny glance, almost as though they were worried or concerned about what was going on in their eldest children's lives. But they must have sensed the desperation in his voice, for they sighed, and his stepmother turned to him, a sympathetic look in her eyes.

"She's gone on that camping trip with Max, and a few of his friends," she said, and she took no notice as her stepson paled, feeling sick to his stomach with worry. "She won't be back until next week."

"Where?" Derek said, as he allowed Marti to slip out of his arms, and return to her spot on the floor, where she was colouring a picture of a playground. "The camping trip, where is she? She called me, and I... I need to get to her."

Another furtive glance was shared between Nora and her husband, and Derek's father gave him a warning look, shaking his head uncertainly.

"Derek, are you sure that's such a good-"

"Dad, _please_!"

Him and his father locked eyes, Derek's begging, and George's reluctant, and he could've sworn he had never been this frustrated with his father in his life. He needed to get to Casey, he needed to help her, and their parents seemed to just think that he was going to pull something stupid, to try and get Casey back. This wasn't about that; this was about keeping Casey _safe_.

He was well prepared to beg, but just when he thought he was going to have to go to his last resort, another voice popped up from the far end of the couch, and every head in the room turned to Edwin, who's eyes were locked on his desperate older brother.

"You remember where cousin Ricky used to go every summer? That woodsy place up near his house, where they built the treehouse? They kept getting kicked out, because it was private property."

Derek nodded, not stopping to mock Edwin's horrible descriptions. His brother's word was all he had, and besides, he knew just where Edwin was talking about.

"Yeah?" he questioned, waving a hand impatiently. "Keep going."

Edwin didn't question his brother's obvious impatience, and he went on, sighing.

"It's on that road. Eighth cabin on the right hand side of the dirt road. It should have a white and blue garbage bin out in the front."

The whole family looked confused as to how Edwin had known all this and he shrugged, his eyes darting around to the rest of the people in the room.

"What? I know this stuff."

They all shook their heads, but Derek merely nodded his head at his brother, for once looking genuinely thankful towards his younger brother. It had taken years of favours, lies, cover stories, and helpful hints, but Edwin had finally earned his brother's true thanks.

"Thanks, Ed."

Without another word, Derek turned, and before anyone could question it, he was gone again. The sound of the car screeching out of the driveway could be heard before anyone had a chance to process what had just happened right before their eyes.

- - - -

It was pitch black by the time Derek got to the cabin that Edwin had described. The cabin still had a couple of lights on, but Derek figured that was because it was only eleven, and the cabin was full of teenagers. Why on earth would they be gone to bed, yet? He parked Ralph's car a little bit of a distance before the driveway, so that they wouldn't know anyone was around. He had walked the remaining distance, and was now crouched down below the kitchen window of the cabin, his knees aching as he listened to the faint murmer of conversation floating through the open kitchen window, and into the night.

"-tellin' you, Max. You gotta go back and get her; you can't just leave her in the woods by herself."

Derek leaned in closer, his body pressed up against the cabin. He thanked the heavens that he had been wearing a black jacket today, because he didn't want to chance being seen by Max. He wasn't scared of him, but he had to get to Casey, before Max could inflict anymore damage on her.

"She'll find her way back," Max laughed, shrugging. "What's the big deal?"

There was a silence, and Derek could tell that the other two boys were probably sharing a very disturbed look at their friend's attitude, right about now.

"The big deal is that it's... it's wrong, okay?" one of them said, sounding apprehensive. "You... you can't just... I mean, you've got to go back and get her. She doesn't know her way around here, and-"

Max laughed bitterly, and there was something in his tone that Derek just didn't trust; he felt a chill go down his spine as Max said his next words.

"I don't think she'll be getting very far," he noted cruelly, and there was a brief pause, before he carried on. "Besides, the little bitch tried to run away, and now she's free as a bird. She wanted to get away from here, she got it. Now shut the hell up about her, and just... have another beer. I'll go find her in the morning, okay? Chick needs to learn a lesson."

Derek tensed as he heard footsteps coming towards the window, and he cringed as he ducked down further, listening to Max rummage around in the fridge, and obviously tossing his friends another drink. Whether or not they just didn't care, or they didn't want to argue with their much stronger, and more powerful friend. The three of them started discussing some football game that had been on a few nights before, and Derek rolled his eyes as he tuned out, and crept away from the window as quietly as possible, trying not to step on many stray branches, and crack.

He crept towards the edge of the woods carefully, and once he was far enough from the cabin, he trusted himself to straighten up and be a little less secretive in his wanderings. He stared up at the large forest in front of him, unsure of where to start looking for her. It was a huge area, and she could be anywhere. Add in the fact that it was dark, and he didn't know his way around here, and he felt so helpless. He closed his eyes, thinking of Casey, and he tried his hardest to try and pick a direction. His eyes were squeezed tightly shut as he thought, and for some odd reason, he had the strongest urge to just go completely straight through the woods. He bit his lip, wondering whether or not he should trust his instinct. But he knew that it rarely led him into any wrong, so he took a deep breath, and decided to take a chance on it. It couldn't do him any wrong.

He walked straight into the woods for a few minutes, stumbling around in the dark, grabbing onto branches to keep himself from falling. He wasn't scared of the dark, but he did have to admit that being in the middle of nowhere, with absolutely no light, was sort of... uncomfortable. So when he was into the woods far enough, he slipped a tiny pocket-size flashlight out of his pocket, and flicked it on, holding it above his head in his right hand. He squinted as he saw the bare brown branches, the green leaves, and the seemingly never ending blanket of trees surrounding him.

"Casey?" he called out quietly, his voice barely above a whisper. "Casey, are you in here?"

He stayed completely still, but he received no answer, only the gentle ruffling of the wind through the leaves. He looked up into the dark blue night sky, and drew his jacket further around him, shivering a little. It wasn't that it was that cold out, but he had been getting used to hotter temperatures, and the wind was a little bit chilly. He moved forwards a little bit, shining the light everywhere around him in search of his ex-girlfriend.

"C'mon, Casey..." he said quietly, squinting into the darkness. "Where are you?"

He walked for another five or ten minutes, starting to feel a little bit lost. He had gone so far into the woods now, that he couldn't even see the lights from the cabin anymore. He supposed that was a good thing, because that meant they couldn't see his light either, but it was his only sense of direction, right about now. He reminded himself that he had gone straight into the woods, and relaxed a little bit. All he had to do to get out was turn and walk, right?

As he moved to step over a fallen branch, he heard the sound of ruffling behind him, and he turned abruptly, the light shining down to see that it had been nothing more than a shrew running across the ground. Unfortunately, he had turned too fast, and he felt his body twist, and fall against the ground. He felt his ankle twist underneath him, and he cringed painfully. He bit his lip, until it was almost bleeding, and it took every ounce of his willpower not to cry out in pain. He was terrified that he may have broken it, because that would mean he was really screwed. The last thing he needed was to be stuck in the middle of an unknown forest, with a broken ankle.

He let out the tiniest groan of pain as he closed his eyes, his head falling back against the mossy and damp ground beneath him, and as he did, he heard something to his right, a little bit further into the woods. He tensed, his eyes shooting open as he turned his head ever so slightly to the right to listen for any signs of noise.

"Anyone there?" he questioned, feeling that this was a rather stupid question. The only other person in these woods, hopefully, would be Casey.

He heard a gentle ruffle again, and he pulled himself up, cringing a little bit as he rested his weight on both feet. He felt relief shoot through him; it wasn't broken. He was pretty sure he had a sprain, but it would go away in a day or two, he knew. He bounced back quickly from injuries. In fact, as he took a step forward, some of the pain went away immediately. He bent down to retrieve the fallen flashlight, and he shone it through the trees, into the woods.

And then he saw it; the shine of his light against something silver, something shiny. He squinted, and walked as quickly as his feet would allow towards the source of this distraction. He stumbled towards his destination, and as he did, he felt some of the tension in his body release itself, and he choked out a relieved sob, falling to his knees next to Casey, who was lying on her stomach, her eyes closed. Derek lay the flashlight down against a rock, so that it shone over her, though not in her eyes. She was wearing only a ripped t-shirt, and her jeans. She was shivering, though whether it was because she was really cold, he didn't know. She was in rough shape, he could tell, even in the limited light. Her face was cut and bruised, and he suspected that these injuries ranged all over her body. But to Derek, this didn't matter. The injuries alarmed him, sure, but this was Casey. He'd found her, and that was the main thing, to him. She was safe, with him.

"Casey," he whispered, reaching out to touch her arm gently. She jumped, her eyes flying wide open, and she immediately tried to scramble backwards away from him, whimpering. He felt his heart break for the poor girl; she was terrified, and really, he couldn't blame her. There was only so much one person could take before they broke down, and he knew Casey had just passed that line, with Max.

He moved towards her cautiously as she backed herself up against a tree trunk, and he shook his head, crouching down about a foot away from her, not wanting to scare her.

He tilted his head, biting his lip as he squinted at her, trying his best to see if she recognized him, yet.

"You don't have to be scared," he said quietly, and she squinted, obviously finding the voice familiar. "It's me, Case. It's Derek."

There was a moment of silence, and she leaned forwards slightly, trying to see his face through the darkness. He reached out slowly, holding his hand out to her. He brushed his fingers gently against her cheek, letting her feel that it was him, not Max. She closed her eyes, holding his hand against her dirt-smeared cheek, before she gave a startled sob, and grabbed onto his hand, falling forwards towards him. He pulld her into his arms, and she fell to her knees in front of him as her arms flew around his neck, squeezing him tightly to her. He closed his eyes, his arms finding their way around her waist, and he buried his face into her hair, inhaling her scent for the first time in what felt like forever.

"God, Derek," she murmered against his skin, obviously crying. "How did you... is it really... I can't believe you came all the way from California."

"What are you talking about, Casey?" he mumbled, his voice muffled into her hair, as he kept his eyes closed, cherishing this feeling. "What part of 'I'll do anything for you', don't you understand? I promised you I'd always be here for you, and I meant that. You needed me, and I came. End of story."

"Oh God," she choked out, holding on even tighter. It was as though she was scared that, if she let him go, her one defense against Max would be gone, again. "I am so, so sorry. I am... I'm..."

"Forget about that, right now," he dismissed quickly, pulling back just enough to look her in the eyes. He kept one arm around her waist, and the other cupped her cheek gently as he tilted his head, examining her as though he didn't really believe that she was here.

"Are you okay?"

"No," she got out weakly, and he was alarmed at how honest that answer had sounded. "I'm not. I'm... I'm hurting and I... he hit me all over this time, and he left me here. It hurts so badly, and I... oh it doesn't even matter; I've got you with me."

"It does matter," he said, nodding his head numbly as he used his sleeve to wipe a bit of blood away from the cut underneath her eye. He cringed as it began to bleed again, and he shook his head, noticing that she had cuts and bruises everywhere.

"Jesus, Casey," he muttered, obviously in shock. "What did he do to you?"

She gave a choked, and saddened laugh, shaking her head.

"There's not much he didn't do," she admitted, shrugging her shoulders. She was still shaking, and Derek sighed, moving away from her so that he could slip out of his sweater. He pulled his arms out, and leaned forwards as he slipped the sweater over her shoulders, being careful to avoid the wounds on her arms as he slipped them through the sleeves. He reached out with trembling fingers, and zipped up the zipper completely, so that she was completely clothed. He shivered as the cool night's breeze grazed his wrists, and he pulled the sleeves of the long-sleeve shirt down over his arms completely, sighing.

"How about I get you out of here?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "Some of those cuts look pretty nasty; I need to get you to a hospital. They could be infected."

"No!" she cried quickly, gripping his wrist in terror. Her eyes were panicked as he shot her a confused look, and she blushed, shrugging. "If I go to the hospital, they'll report him, and I'm scared of... of what he'll do, if he finds out I told on him."

Derek shook his head at her, a gentle frown touching his lips.

"Do you honestly think I'm going to let him hurt you?" he questioned, surprised. "God no, Casey. That monster is never, _ever_ going to touch you again; you don't have to worry about that."

"Really?" she whispered, and he nodded as he pulled himself up, and grabbed the flashlight off of the rock again, handing it to her to hold. She took it from his hands, clutching it tightly in one of her own as he straightened out his shirt, and exteneded a hand to her. She looked him in the eye, fearful, but he gave her a reassuring nod, and she reached out, grabbing onto his hand. The second she was on her feet again, their fingers laced together, and he gave her hand a gentle squeeze, wanting to reassure her.

"It's okay now," he told her, his voice quiet as he looked her in the eye. "Max is a bastard, and he always will be. It took him a week and a half to turn back into the same monster he was before you guys broke up, and I knew it would happen eventually. But you don't need him, Casey; you don't. You can take him out of your life, but I'll always be here for you. I've... I've always been here... waiting, always waiting..."

Her eyes locked with his, and she nodded slowly, a pained look in her eyes, like she was just realizing this herself.

"I know," she whispered, and he reached out, pulling her into one more hug, and kissing the side of her head roughly, fighting back the desire to kiss her then and there.

When he pulled back, he held onto her hand tighter, and glanced down at her feet, squinting.

"Are you okay to walk?" he asked, and when she nodded, he frowned, wanting to be certain. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," she said quickly, nodding. He still didn't look reassured, so she sighed, squeezing his hand gently. "I promise you, if it starts to hurt, I'll let you know. But let's just concentrate on getting out of here as fast as possible, okay? I... I'm just scared he'll come back here tonight, and I... I don't want to face that."

Derek watched her another moment, before nodding, and starting to lead her back towards the direction of the car, all the while being sure to cherish the fact that he was holding her hand, he had her. He had her, and Max could never hurt her again. He'd be the one holding her safe from that monster, even if they weren't together, still. It didn't matter, so long as she was alive, and safe from the beast. So long as she was away from Max, she was okay. And so long as she was in Derek's arms, she'd be protected.

* * *

**So this does not mean there will be a miraculous apparation of Dasey, so please, don't cheer too soon. And the reason for Max hurting her that badly wasn't because of the phone thing. She'll tell Derek why next chapter, but it's nothing too earth shattering, lol. Anyway, a friend of mine/fellow writer/Daseyer, Tara, has mentioned that you guys should check out the song 'Never Alone' by Barlow Girls. She thinks that it fits well with this story. Anyway, review, and I will update. There are still a few chapters left of this. **


	25. Stay

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. **

**Chapter Twenty-Five: Stay**

They were at the hospital for three hours, and twenty five minutes, before the doctors finally told her she was free to go. She had gotten checked over, and she had been required to fill out an injury report, so that the hospital could file away her information. They had insisted that Derek and Casey contact the authorities about what Max had done, but Derek assured them that they would be contacting the police in London as soon as they got home, so that the old case they had started on Max's abuse could be re-opened, and re-evaluated. And personally, Derek couldn't wait until Max got what he deserved, which hopefully included a lengthy prison sentence, since he was over eighteen. But he was hoping to get a few good punches in before then, because hell knows Max deserved a bit of physical pain, after the months of emotional pain Derek had suffered, not to mention the extent of the damage he'd done to Casey. But Derek planned on calling the police and reporting the incident the next day. It was two thirty in the morning, and Casey was tired, not to mention sore. He wanted nothing more than to get her home, and get her taken care of.

The last thing he had wanted to do was take her back to their parents house. With a quick call to Sam, who was on summer vacation with his family in the Dominican Republic, he had gotten permission from his best friend to stay there for the night, with Casey. He'd had a key to Sam's house since he was fourteen, when he used to come over and take care of Sam's dogs while they went on vacation, every spring. Sam's mother had never remembered to ask for the key back, and it wasn't like they didn't trust Derek; he'd been best friends with Sam since they were little kids. Derek was grateful for such great friends; he was using Ralph's car, and Sam's house, and neither of them were uttering a single complaint, to his face anyway. He had made a quick call to their parents, saying he wouldn't be home tonight, and although they had been curious, they had decided against questioning it. H

And that was how Derek happened to wind up sitting on Sam's couch at two forty-five that morning, combing his fingers through Casey's hair as he tried to get her to eat the chicken noodle soup he'd heated up for her. He'd wanted to make her something more, but Sam's cupboards were pretty bare, considering his family hadn't been there in awhile, and would be gone for another two weeks. She was only taking small spoonfuls of it, as though she was still uneasy and scared. And Derek knew that she was still both of those things, because everytime she heard so much as the wind outside, her eyes would go all panicky, and her eyes would dart right over to wherever the noise had come from. Paranoia was starting to kick in, but he vowed to himself to be patient with her, and help her through this.

"Finish your soup," he said quietly, wrapping a strand of her hair around his finger as he aligned himself beside her, wanting to be as close to her as possible. "I don't want you getting sick from not eating. You're already damaged enough as it is. And speaking of which, you need to make sure we remember to put that cream the doctor gave you on those infected cuts."

She nodded, though he had a feeling she wasn't really listening, and she took another tiny spoonful of soup, her eyes glancing over at Derek quickly. He was watching her intently, and she quickly looked away as he continued to tangle his fingers with her hair.

"When are you due back home?" he asked her quietly, referring to when she was supposed to return from her camping trip.

She placed the spoon back down in her bowl again, and thought for a moment, before looking back at him as she gave her response.

"Eight days," she said, and she bit her lip, frowning. "I don't know how that's going to work. I mean, I've got to tell my mother about what Max did, eventually. But I don't want to go home eight days early, covered in bruises and cuts, and-"

"Come with me," he said quickly, the hope lighting up his eyes brightly. "Yeah, that'd work. Come out to California with me for a few days. I've got lots of room in the apartment for you. Stay out there for a few days, just to clear your head a little. It'll be better than trying to explain to your mother what really happened."

A frown appeared on her lips, and he noticed the panic in her eyes as she tensed up, obviously worried about something.

"You're... you're... I forgot you had to go back there," she whispered, sounding terrified. "What about Max; what's he going to-"

"Max is going to be going to jail," Derek said certainly, giving her a very serious look. "Because tomorrow, you and I are going to go down to the police station, and we're going to have a nice little chat with the authorities. And you're going to tell them all about what Max has been doing to you. And once they have enough evidence, we'll go on a nice little trip to California, how does that sound?"

Casey stared at him for a moment, as though she was still uncertain about this whole thing. And really, so was Derek. He had a feeling that this whole Max thing wouldn't go away by merely reporting him. There would be alot of questioning, and they were going to have a big mess on their hands this summer. But he knew that he'd come back for all of that, if needed. School didn't start until fall, anyway. He wasn't about to leave her to the mercy of her abusive ex-boyfriend.

But although Casey still didn't seem too sure about all of this, she nodded her head, apparantly deciding to just let it go, and trust him.

"Okay," she said, nodding her head. "I'll go to the police station with you. But I still don't know about California, Derek. I wouldn't want to interfere with you and Alyssa, or anything."

There was bitterness in her voice all of a sudden, and Derek took notice of it immediately. He watched as she averted her gaze from his, and looked down at her feet. For one brief moment, he could've sworn that she was jealous of Alyssa, but that was crazy, right? He shook his head, confused as to what she was even talking about. What did she mean, she didn't want to interfere? What was there to interfere with?

"What do you mean, Casey?" he asked, and when she wouldn't look at him, he gripped her chin gently, tilting her head towards him. Her eyes were still refusing to look up at him, and he tilted his own head to look towards her, frowning.

"Casey?" he questioned, his voice gentle. "Look at me, okay?"

She reluctantly did so, and her eyes were filled with sadness when their gaze met. His heart broke at the mere sight of it, and he shook his head, wanting to get to the bottom of this.

"What exactly do you mean, you don't want to interfere? What is it you think I'm doing with Alyssa that's so important?"

She squirmed uncomfortably, shrugging her shoulders unknowingly as he waited expectantly for the answer that would set him straight.

"She's your girlfrend now, isn't she? " she asked, trying not to sound at all jealous. "You and her, you're together, aren't you? Because that was sort of the vibe I got when I was talking to her on the phone, the other day. It sort of seemed like the two of you were together, or something."

He definitely heard the jealousy this time, and although he tried not to think too much of it, he couldn't help but feel a tiny bit hopeful for them, still. But he knew that Casey felt anything but happy right about now, and he wanted to fix that as soon as possible. He didn't want her getting the wrong impression about him and Alyssa, even if he'd had to deal with her and Max being together for months, all by himself.

"No, Casey," he said, smiling sadly as his thumb moved across her cheek gently, and he shook his head, sighing. "Me and Alyssa aren't together; she's not my girlfriend. She just came to visit, and she was staying with me for a few days before she went on to her aunt's house. Her aunt doesn't live too far from me. She's gone back there for now, since I was coming down here to get to you."

She breathed out quickly, and it sounded almost like a breath of relief, to him. He hoped that he wasn't just over-analyzing everything, because he wanted so badly for Casey to want him too. But it was much too soon to try and bother her about that sort of thing. She'd just gotten out of an abusive relationship, and she was probably not over any of that just yet. Besides, he had done enough bugging her about their relationship, in the past few months. If Casey wanted him, she would come to him with it. He didn't want to bug her about things she didn't want, with him. Not anymore.

"So will you come with me?" he asked, hope flickering through him. "I'd really like it if you did. I want to spend some time with you. I haven't seen you in like, two weeks. And I've... I've really missed you, Casey."

At these words, something seemed to occur to her, and she frowned, tensing slightly. He felt the immediate change in her atittude as she looked up at him, her eyes narrowed slightly. She was angry with him, he could tell, and it was then that he began to panic. He had just gotten her back; he didn't want her to be mad at him already.

"You left me," she said, and his heart dropped as he remembered that he had left without even telling her, that they hadn't even dealt with that yet. "You promised me to be here, and then you left me. You didn't even say goodbye to me, or anything. You didn't tell me where you were going, nothing. I would've even liked a note, or an email, just to know you had wanted to say goodbye. But you never did any of those things. You left me here, and I... I just couldn't accept the fact that you'd really gone on without a care in the world about me."

"I did care," he assured her, trying to keep his voice calm. "I care about you more than anything, and you know that. But you were so mad at me, that night, that I really didn't get a chance to tell you much of anything. I mean, I wasn't telling you anyway, I'll admit that. But it was only because I knew you'd try to stop me, and I wanted to leave you so that you could be happy with Max, on your own terms. I didn't want to stand in your way. I guess that didn't work out too well, since Max turned out to be an asshole anyway, but... you know. My intentions were good, even if leaving you wasn't the best idea at all. I understand that, and I won't blame you if you're mad at me, but I'd like it if you forgave me for this. But it's your call."

She stared at him for a moment, taking everything in. She looked as though she had no idea whether or not she should believe him. He had come up with an excellent explanation for all of this, after all, even if he hadn't been right in leaving her at all. But she appeared to think it over pretty quickly, because within a moment, she was nodding her head, shrugging her shoulders at him.

"I can forgive you for that," she admitted, and he felt some of the worry on his shoulders disappear. "Mainly because I know you never wanted to hurt me, and I... I feel really guilty, for not believing you about Max. You worked so hard trying to protect me from him, and all I did was freeze you out. And I can't tell you how sorry I am for that. It must have been so hard on you, telling me something so many times, and having me not believe you. I should've listened. I... I..."

"It's okay," he said, nodding his head. "It's fine. You didn't know any better; you thought he was a good guy. He's good at acting, I'll give him that much. But I figured that it was only a matter of time until he turned back into a complete and total jerk, to you. I guess he wanted to wait until I was out of the way, before he did that. He was smart to do that, I'll give him that, but he underestimated me. I don't think he seriously thought I'd come back for you, if he started acting up again."

"But you did," he said, giving him a tiny smile. "I can't believe it either. You came all the way from _California_, just to make sure I was okay. That's just... that's unbelieveable. I honestly didn't think I had someone who would do something like that for me."

Her smile was one of absolute affection now, and he blushed a little bit as she wrapped one arm around his neck, giving him a grateful look.

"Thank you, Derek," she said, and he felt his cheeks turn even redder as she leaned in, kissing him gently on the cheek. "It means alot to me to know that you really will be there, whenever I need you."

"I will," he said, his voice cracking as he struggled to regain his composure again. "I'd never let anybody lay their hands on you. You... you mean too much to me. I called you so many times, when you got off the phone with Alyssa. But your phone was off, and it was still off by the time my plane landed."

"Max broke it," she said, cringing. "When we were fighting. He flicked it, and I think he meant to hit me, but it hit the wall, and smashed."

There was a moment of silence as Derek examined aher bruised skin, his fingertips running along her skin gently. He traced the outline of one of her bruises, frowning slightly as he tried to imagine someone actually hurting the girl in front of him. He raised his gaze up to her face, and saw her eyes. She had such pretty eyes; they were filled with a curious little sparkle, and even despite what had happened to her, she looked like the sort of person who could always find something to smile about. He loved that about her. How could anybody look at this girl, and cause her pain? He'd never understand, though he supposed it was just his love for her, blinding him, and giving him that biased viewpoint.

"Why did he do this?" he suddenly asked, his eyebrows furrowed together. "Hurt you this badly, I mean? What did you do that was so horrible?"

"I tried to break up with him," she said, biting her lip, and cringing. "When I got off the phone with Alyssa, he started fighting with me, yelling at me for going against him and calling you. But the only difference was, this time I fought him back. I hit him right in the mouth, and his lip started bleeding. He got really mad at me then, and I figured I was really going to get it. But when he was wiping the blood off his lip, I stood up, and told him I was leaving him... that I was g-going to go and try to get back to you, because you actually care about me. I ran out of the cabin, and I just ran in the first direction I saw. He followed me, and chased me into the woods, and... well, you know the state I was in by the time you found me. That was all him."

She looked up into his eyes, scared, and shook her head, looking as though she could cry at any given second. And he was sure that she probably would end up crying, before the night was out.

"I just want it to be over, Derek," she said, her voice shaky. "I don't want to be with him anymore. I tried breaking up with him, and he wouldn't listen to me. He's just so... so..."

Derek sighed, inwardly cringing at the thought of everything she had been through that day. She didn't deserve it; she didn't deserve one bit of it. Sure, he had wanted her to realize that he had been right, and that Max really was abusive, but he had never wanted her to have to figure it out like this, by feeling Max's true side in the form of abuse. But there was nothing more he could do, other than make her feel like she was protected, and make Max pay, eventually. But revenge could wait. Taking care of Casey was the most important thing that there was in his life.

So he grabbed the phone off of the endtable next to the couch, and after blocking his number, quickly dialed in Max's cellphone number, which he knew from the few times Max had called the house for Casey. He blocked the number for the sole intention of eliminating the chance for Max to keep calling back, and harassing them, or piecing together where they were. Casey gave him an inquizzative look, probably confused as to what Derek was doing, and who he was calling. But he merely shook his head at her, and waited for an answer. And finally, he got one.

"Hello?" came the rough voice over the phone, and Derek smirked; oh he loved the fact that he'd probably just woken the bastard up. "Who is this?"

"It's Derek," he said, smirking slightly. "And I've got a few things to tell you, so I suggest you shut the hell up and listen to me."

There was silence, and Casey finally seemed to recognize who he was calling, and her eyes widened with panic as she shook her head, making a desperate grab for the phone. She was scared, he knew, but he caught both of her wrists gently in one of his hands, and held them down as he gave her a reassuring look, waiting for Max's response.

"What could you possibly have to say to me, Venturi?" he questioned, sounding amused, yet worried all at once. Derek had an advantage here; as far as Max knew, he was in California, and Casey was still out in the woods somewhere, too shaken up to even find her way back.

"Oh I have plenty of things to say to you, but I'll keep it short," he laughed cruelly, taking a deep breath. "I'll save you alot of trouble, and let you know that I've got Casey. There's no sense in you going out and looking for her, because she's not there. She's with me, and that's the way it's going to stay, got it?"

"Wait a second, _what_?" Max cried, obviously shocked. "How can Casey be with you? You're in California!"

Derek laughed, amused, and he trusted Casey enough to let her wrists go. She relaxed against him this time, and looked up at him as he continued to tell off her boyfriend.

"It's called an airplane," he said, no kindness in his voice whatsoever. "But that's not the point. The point is that- you and Casey? Yeah, you're over. She told you she's breaking up with you, and she meant that. So that means that you stay _away_ from her. I don't want you calling her, or coming by the house, or contacting her in anyway. You're through. So if you know what's good from you, you'll stay the hell away from her. And if you don't, I'll know, and you don't want me getting any more angry than I already am."

Before Max could respond, Derek had hung up the phone on him, and Casey looked up at him, looking uneasy.

"It's really over?" she questioned, her eyes slightly wide with hope. "He's really gone?"

"Yeah," Derek said, nodding his head. "I think he understands that you two are over. You... you wanted it to be over, right? You said you had wanted to break up with him, so I just assumed you wouldn't mind me doing that for you. If you did, then I'm sorry, but..."

"Don't worry about it," she said, shaking her head. "I wanted to break up with him. I'm not going to stay with a guy who uses me as a target, and someone to boss around. He's a jerk; there are plenty of other guys in the world, and I bet every last one of them is better than that jerk."

Derek nodded, and he finally decided to change the topic a little as he drew in a deep breath, asking her a bit of a more serious question.

"What about your memory?" he asked, praying that something had come back, that something had improved. "Do you remember anything yet... from before? Has anything come back to you?"

She thought for a moment, chewing on her bottom lip, before she looked back up at him, looking confused, as though she wasn't sure how to answer that question.

"I'm not sure, but I think it _could_ be starting to come back," she said, shrugging. "I could be overreacting to nothing, and I could be completely wrong about this. But I keep getting these little snippets of memory, and I have no idea where they came from. It's like I'll be sitting there, and something will occur to me, and I'll have to think hard, because I can't remember it ever happening. But it could just be my mind playing tricks on me, I don't know."

He felt hope flicker through him. If Casey were to get back her memory, she would remember loving him. She would remember being his girlfriend, and maybe she'd want to go back to the way things were before.But he couldn't push it, so he decided to just casually question it, so he didn't seem like he was nagging her.

"Do you... I mean, do you remember-"

"-loving you?" she suggested, raising an eyebrow at him. He nodded hastily, swallowing hard with anticipation, and he felt hurt flicker through him when she shook her head sadly at him, looking as though she felt bad for not being able to tell him what he wanted.

"No," she said, her eyes filled with sympathy. "I'm sorry, but I don't. I really wish I could, because... because you're just the world's most amazing guy, and I just want those feelings to come back, so that I could realize how strongly I felt for you. So that me and you could-"

She trailed off, shaking her head at him, and laying her empty soup bowl down on the endtable behind her. She sighed as she forced out a smile, running her hand through his hair.

"Never mind," she whispered, smiling at him still. "It's not important. But I think I'm going to go to sleep now, okay? I'm really tired, and, well... yeah."

She moved to get up, but Derek wrapped one arm around her waist, holding her against him tightly, and preventing her from moving. She cringed, and he released his hold slightly, not wanting to put pressure on any of her bruises. He knew that she was still incredibly sore.She shot him a confused look, as though she couldn't understand why he was keeping her there.

"Derek, I-"

"Stay here," he begged her, his eyes hopeful as he looked up at her sadly. "Go to sleep here, with me. I... I've missed you, Casey."

She looked like she was well-prepared to argue with him, and go on to sleep in the guest room. But she must have seen how hopeful he looked, and how much he wanted to just spend this little bit of time with her, because any resistance in her eyes faded, and she nodded, relaxing into his hold again.

"Okay," she said, sighing as he pulled the blanket that he'd retrieved from the hall closet over her body, wanting to make sure she wouldn't get cold. "I'll stay here with you, then."

"Good," he murmered into her hair, smiling as they settled down against each other, and Derek reached over to turn the lamp off. When he did, they were plunged into complete darkness, and he held her against him, loving the feeling that he had missed for such a long time. He closed his eyes, smiling into the darkness, before a last thought occured to him.

"You're coming back to California with me for awhile, right?" he whispered to her, waiting anxiously for her response. "I promise you, it'll do you some good to get away from all that madness, if only for a little while."

She didn't even have to think about it. Within a moment, he felt her nodding her head, and he knew that he'd won; he had her convinced.

"Yes," she replied, sounding certain, now. "I'm coming with you. But we'll have to sneak back into our parent's house while they're at work, so I can get some of my clothes. Is that okay?"

He nodded. Anything would be okay, so long as it meant she was coming back to California with him for a week or two.

"Whatever you want, Casey."

And he fell asleep next to her, feeling happier than he had in a very long time.

* * *

**Review, and more shall follow. There is still obviously some drama ahead of us, but not much. Casey still doesn't know about his drug use (after he left Ontario) , or sleeping with Alyssa, and I warn you that that may cause some problems between the two of them, whether she remembers or not. But more about that in the next few chapters!**


	26. Two's a party Three's a crowd

**This is a long chapter, but I hope you'll enjoy it. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter Twenty-Six: Two's a party, three's a crowd**

Derek and Casey reached his apartment later on the next evening, with a few of Casey's things packed with them, since she would be there for awhile. They had woken up early that morning and gone to the police station. They had filed a crime report against Max, and then explained that they would be out of the country for awhile, but that they wanted them to look into it. The police mentioned that they were pretty sure it wouldn't take that long to sort away, since the evidence against him was so visible on Casey's skin, in her bruises. They would need to investigate it a little bit, of course, but Derek knew that justice would be on their side, in this case.The claims filed against him before the accident didn't do anything to help Max, either.

After they had finished up at the police station, they had snuck back to their parent's house so that she could get some of her things, before heading off to the airport.

And now, here they were, climbing up to Derek's apartment on the eighth floor. Derek had Casey's bag in his hands as he dug for his keys in his pockets. She was standing next to him, her arms folded across her chest as she glanced around her nervously, as though she was nervous that someone- that someone being Max- was going to jump out and hurt her at any given second. Derek was pretty sure that she would have to get used to the idea of being safe, because she was extremely paranoid, right now. But Max couldn't get to her, not here, and Derek had never felt more relaxed as when he swung the door to his apartment open, and stepped back to allow her to step inside first.

She stepped in cautiously, and he followed along behind her, kicking the door shut as gently as possible. He flicked a lightswitch on, illuminating the room around him, and she glanced around the apartment with interest, seeing where he had been living for the past few weeks. He placed her bag down next to the door, and squinted into his apartment, sighing. It wasn't messy, exactly, but there were still a few plates on the table, and his liquor bottles still lined the cupboard. He had been forced to leave pretty fast, to get back to Ontario, and cleaning up had really been the last thing on his mind.

"Sorry for the mess," he said, as he kicked his sneakers off, and moved over to the table, where the plates were still lying. He stacked them up, and made his way towards the sink, laying them down carelessly. He turned back to her as she leaned against the table, not saying a word.

"I didn't really get a chance to clean before I left to come get you," he said, grinning a little. "Cleaning was the last thing from my mind, as usual."

She managed to smile, and her eyes flickered over to the empty liquor bottles on the counter. She cringed, but turned back to him, raising an eyebrow.

"Been having fun, I take it?" she questioned, and he felt his stomach turn as he remembered what had happened the last time he had gotten drunk. He had slept with Alyssa, something he had no intention on telling Casey. He wasn't sure why, but he didn't feel like telling her would be the right thing for him to do. He was worried that she would be mad at him, even if they weren't even together. Of course, he'd done worse since he'd left. He had done more drugs, after promising Casey that he would stop... but he had been in a messed up place, then. But right now, he was feeling happier than he ever had, and he felt no reason to go off and do drugs at all. He had the best thing in the world right in front of him, and Casey was all he needed to keep him happy.

"Not fun, exactly," he said, shaking his head. His eyes darkened as he took a step towards her, stopping directly in front of her. "I've been miserable without you, Casey. The drinking... it was hardly recreational. It was something I needed, to keep myself from going crazy. I'd sit here, and I'd think about how he was probably kissing you, and touching you, and... and... I don't think I can even think about what else you might have done with him. It makes me sick."

He turned his head to the side, trying to mask his pain, but she sensed it anyway. She reached up, placing her hand on the side of his face, and turning his gaze back to meet hers. He saw a reassuring and sympathetic look in her eyes, and he swallowed hard at the nervous feeling in his stomach.

She shook her head at him, no hint of a smile on her features as she tried her best to put his mind at ease.

"I never slept with Max," she said, and he felt the weight of the world lift off of his shoulders. "He asked me to, a couple of times actually. Never when you were there, because I think he knew better. But pretty much right after you left, he was pressuring me about having sex with him. And... even before he started hitting me, I... I couldn't. It just didn't feel right, and I didn't understand why. There was always something in the back of my mind, stopping me from letting it go too far."

He breathed out a quick breath of relief, realizing now how badly he had needed to hear her tell him that. He had always feared that Max would eventually pressure her into taking the next step, and that thought was sickening to him.

"Thank you," he said quietly, breathing easier now. "I mean, I can't expect you to stay single for the rest of your life, just because we went out, once. I'll admit that I'm probably not going to be happy about anyone else dating you, or kissing you, or... or anything like that, but anyone is better than Max. The dude's my worst enemy."

She sighed, and no more discussion was needed as she made her way into the living room, and sat down on the couch, leaning back gently.

"How long has Alyssa been here?" she questioned, and as much as she tried to make it sound like an innocent question, it was obvious that she was really curious about this. "Did she fly up with you, or..."

"No," Derek said, shaking his head. "I came up alone. She only got here a few days ago, but she's gone on to her aunt's house. She'll probably stop by tomorrow or something though. She told me she gets pretty lonely when her aunt is at work, since she can't get much time off. Are you okay with that?"

Derek already knew that she wasn't really okay with it. There was something about Alyssa that was getting on Casey's nerves, and Derek could tell. He didn't understand why, because Alyssa was the sweetest girl ever. She'd never hurt a fly; but Casey didn't appear to be taking a liking to her. But for his sake, Casey sucked it up, and lied to him. And while he knew she was lying, he decided not to question her on it, for fear of starting an argument.

"It's fine," she said, shrugging. "She's your friend, and this is your apartment. Who am I to make up the rules, right?"

He sighed; tomorrow was going to be an interesting day.

- - - -

If Derek could describe his morning in one single word, it would have been awkward, followed by nerve-wracking, frustrating, and embarassing. Casey had slept in his bed the night before, with him. Since he was living in a one bedroom apartment, he didn't have a spare room for her to sleep in. He had offered to sleep on the couch, so that she wouldn't have to, but she had insisted that she didn't mind if he slept in there with her, since it was a big bed anyway, and they'd shared the night before as well. Sleeping in the same bed hadn't been the awkward part. It had only been awkward when he had woken up to find that she was awake, and that he had both of his arms wrapped around her waist, and his face buried against her neck. To him, the feeling was perfection, but to her, it must have felt weird. She had laughed it off, and Derek had figured that the rest of the morning would run pretty smoothly.

But of course, nothing ever worked his way, and Alyssa had called him at ten, saying that she had gotten the message he'd left the night before, saying that he was home. She was going to drop by at around noon, to see him. Casey had started acting moody when she'd found this out, and he was half contemplating calling Alyssaa and telling her not to come over at all. But she was his best friend, and he didn't want to hurt her feelings, so he supposed Casey was going to have to swallow her pride, and suck it up. He'd watched her with Max for months on end, and had he acted like a big baby? Okay, so he had, but there was no reason for her to be acting like one now; she didn't even like him.

Derek had only realized twenty minutes after he got off the phone with Alyssa that he hadn't even mentioned that Casey was here, and now, he was uncertain about whether or not she would find it awkward to be around the girl that Derek wanted, the girl Derek had probably been thinking about when he'd slept with her. So basically, he was half contemplating running off for a good few hours, and leaving Casey and Alyssa to battle it out for themselves. He sure as hell wasn't in the mood for any chick drama, today.

"There's never anything good on TV," Derek complained, as he flicked through the channels, bored. "Casey, fix it!"

Casey, who was clearing off the table from their breakfast dishes, looked up, and rolled her eyes at him, shaking her head.

"What exactly do you propose I do about that, oh wise one?" she challenged raising an eyebrow. "I don't pick what they put on TV, do I?"

He paused, biting his lip as he thought about what she had just said. The girl made a good point; she was smart, but then again, she always made good points. It wasn't even a biased opinion; he just knew that she was smart. But nonetheless, he hated admitting that she was right, so he managed to grin, shaking his head.

"Shush," he said, and she merely shook her head, smiling to herself as she placed a few dishes over onto the counter, and washed her hands. After drying them off quickly on the dishcloth above the sink, she sighed, and crossed the room, falling onto the couch next to him. He grinned over at her as they sat there in silence, before laughter escaped her lips, and she reached over, ruffling his hair playfully so that it fell in front of his eyes.

"You're so weird," she decided, shaking her head. "But you're my best friend anyway."

His face lifted into a smile, and he felt sudden happiness flickering through him as he gave her a nervous look, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm your best friend?" he questioned, his voice probably a little too hopeful, and he was glad when she chose to ignore his tone. "Really?"

She blushed a little, but managed to nod her head twice to indicate that she was being absolutely serious with him.

"Yeah," she said, shrugging her shoulders. "Of course I mean it. You've been here for me through everything I've gone through, over the past few months, and before then, even. You care about me, and... and I know I can count on you not to let me down."

He grinned, adjusting the collar of his shirt, and winking at her.

"You know me," he said smugly, trying his best not to laugh. "The chicks always come to me, when they need a man they can trust."

Casey stared at him for a moment, blinking as though she couldn't make out whether or not he was serious. But when she saw the innocent little smirk pulling on the corners of his mouth, she smacked his arm, shaking her head as she laughed.

"You're a loser," she said, and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, flicking the television off. He pulled her a bit closer to him as she lay her head down against his shoulder, and stared towards the window, where the sun was shining wonderfully through the panes of glass, illuminating the soft brown laminate flooring beneath their feet.

"Derek?" she questioned, sighing as she curled her legs up next to her, trying to get comfortable. "Do you like it here? In California, I mean. Is it better than living back in Ontario?"

Derek only had to think about that for a moment. Sure, California was a great place, and he was sort of enjoying himself, here. It had been nice to get away from all of the drama of his old life, by moving here. And it was great to be surrounded by some new people, even if he'd been too wrapped up in self-pity to bother getting to know them. The freedom of living on his own was even enough to make him appreciate the Californian life even more. But as much as he hated sounding like a baby, he missed everyone. He missed bossing Edwin around, or giving Marti piggybacks, or playing soccer with Lizzie out in the backyard. He missed waking up in the morning to the sound of cartoons blaring downstairs, and Lizzie yelling at Edwin to stop snooping around in her room.

Byt most of all, he missed being able to do this with Casey. He missed their conversations, their 'together' time, and the stupid little arguments they always managed to get into. He missed her.

"I wouldn't exactly call it better," he admitted, staring off to the other side of the room, and frowning. "It's not better. It's just... different, being here. I mean, I'm looking after myself, and that's sort of cool. It feels good to be the one in control, and the one who can call all the shots. And I sort of like being able to start all over, but..."

"But what?" she asked, lifting her head slightly from his shoulder to look him in the eye. "You sound..."

"-confused?" he finished for her, chuckling. She nodded, and he shrugged, sighing. "Yeah, I know I do. And I am, really. I mean, it's great here, and being able to live a new life has been exciting, but I... I really miss everyone, and I miss being home. Hell, I even miss our parents bossing me around, every now and then. You don't realize how much you'll miss all that stuff until it's gone."

He looked down at her, and saw that her eyes were set on his, curious and interested. He sighed, shaking his head as he realized that he was getting way too into this. He shrugged, tightening his hold on her a little bit, though not nearly tight enough to put too much pressure on her bruises or cuts.

"So what about you, Missy?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "When do you move for university? Have you started looking at apartments, yet?"

She shook her head at him, indicating that she hadn't.

"Nope," she replied, not sounding at all worried. "Mom said she's going to take me out around the end of July, and start looking. I'm going to stay in London until the middle of August, but I want to have at least two weeks to get adjusted to my new place, before I start school. It's going to be so weird, living all by myself in Toronto. But I guess I've got it better than you do; you're in a whole different country by yourself, and that can't be easy."

"Yeah," he laughed, shrugging. "But it's not too bad out here, I guess. The weather's awesome, and everyone I've met is really nice, and there's a very nice view from my bedroom window."

She raised an eyebrow, realization flickering through her eyes.

"Derek, you're bedroom window has the view of the beach. I looked out there this morning, and all I could see was a line of girls, tanning, and another group swimming, and-"

She frowned, and when she saw that he was smirking, she rolled her eyes, giving him a disgusted look.

"You're a pig," she said, though he knew she was only joking. "But that does bring me to my next question. I was going to ask you if... if you were dating anyone, since you've been back here?"

He stared at her, the smile instantly disappearing from his lips, and for one brief moment, all he could think about was Alyssa, and their one night together. That wasn't really what he would consider dating someone, but still, it was something, wasn't it? But he didn't want her to find out about that, so he shook his head, shrugging.

"Nah," he said, his voice as casual as possible. "Haven't met anyone that special out here, yet. But I mean... you're over me, and I'm going to be living here now, so... I might as well find someone, right? There's lots of girls that are my type, here. All I've gotta do is find one of them."

He didn't reply, and he felt his heartbeart speed up as she placed a hand on his chest, her fingers spread out across the soft fabric of his shirt. He tried not to let her touch affect him, for he knew she could never want him in the ways he wanted her. But still, she bit her lip as he looked her in the eye, trying to hide the fact that she was making him nervous, right about now. And suddenly, she changed the topic entirely, as though his mention of him living away had triggered something inside of her.

"I'm going to miss you, when I go back home," she admitted to him, her cheeks slightly red with embarassment at her confession. "I missed you the whole time you were gone, over the past few weeks."

She was even closer, and he could've sworn that even her face was moving closer to his. If he didn't know better, he'd think that she was flirting with him, and purposely putting this proximity between them. But he didn't want to make too much of it, so he shifted uncomfortably, and gave a nervous laugh, nodding his head.

"Yeah, I missed you too, Case," he said, his voice cracking slightly on her name. "Alot."

"Yeah?" she questioned, and he nodded hastily, feeling a little bit overheated. "That's good then. But I... I really think that I might've missed you more than I was supposed to miss you. I think it was a little too much."

She was definitely flirting, and even Derek couldn't fight that, anymore. He shook his head, shifting a little bit away from her, but she refused to let go of him. He found himself begin to get freaked out, because this couldn't be Casey. The Casey he knew, _his_ Casey, she didn't suddenly change moods like this. She didn't act all clingy like she was, and she most definitely didn't flirt, when she hadn't so much as batted an eyelash at a guy for months.

"What's wrong with you, Casey?" he asked, his eyes narrowed slightly. "You're acting really weird. I can't put my finger on it... you're just... you're acting different, this morning. Don't get mad at me for saying this, because I'm just observing, but it's almost like you're flirting with me."

She raised an eyebrow at him, blushing a little as though he had offended her, and he swallowed hard as he waited for her to slap him, or yell at him, or do something that would indicate that she was mad with him, for suggesting such a thing.

But she merely shrugged, her eyes never leaving his as he waited for some sort of a reaction from her. He was about to question her again, when there was a knock on his door, and he pulled away from her quickly, cringing. She frowned, but shrugged carelessly as he got up, and wandered over to the front door, pulling it open to find himself face to face with Alyssa.

"Aly, hey!" he said, and she stepped inside the room, wrapping her arms around him in a big hug. "How are you?"

"Great, now that you're back," she said, not taking notice of Casey as she grinned, her fingers brushing across his neck gently. She kissed the side of his head, and neither of them noticed Casey clenching her fists beside her, clearly frustrated with the newcomer's greeting towards Derek.

"How did everything go?" she asked, as she pulled away, and he kept his arm around her shoulders. "Did you find-"

Before she could finish her sentence, she looked up, and saw that they weren't alone; there was an annoyed brown haired girl sitting on the couch quietly, her eyes fixed on Alyssa.

"-Casey," she finished, her eyes wide with surprise. She rushed across the room, and it was a sign of the goodness of her heart that she held no grudge for Casey having such a strong claim on Derek Venturi's heart, for she smiled softly at her, concern flickering through her eyes as she examined the bruises all over her skin.

"Oh my God," she said, shaking her head. "I can't believe your boyfriend did something like this to you. This is just, it's... it's horrible."

Derek watched as Casey had some sort of an internal argument with herself. It was obvious that she felt some jealousy towards Alyssa, but the poor girl was almost impossible to hate. Alyssa just came off as a friendly person, and no amount of excuses could make up for the fact that the girl was just upbeat and positive. There was no excuse for hating her, but Casey appeared to be trying very hard, despite the fact that she had never had a problem with the girl before.

"Yeah, it was horrible," she said coldly, shifting away from Alyssa slightly. "And Max is my ex-boyfriend, actually. I broke up with him."

"Good," Alyssa said, either not noticing Casey's bitterness, or choosing to ignore it. "You deserve lots better than him, anyway. It's a real shame you had to go through all of this to figure that out, though."

Casey's lips were pressed tightly together as she folded her arms across her chest, and leaned back, nodding her head coldly.

"Uh-huh."

Alyssa frowned, recognizing Casey's hostility this time, and turning to Derek with a look of utmost confusion on her face. Derek, who was equally as surprised as she was, merely shook his head, shrugging his shoulders to hint to her that she had no idea why Casey was acting this way. But he didn't like the panic in Alyssa's eyes, and he knew he'd have to speak up, now. He cleared his throat, unfolding his arms as he took a step forwards.

"So... um, Casey..." he said slowly, racking his brain for something to say. "After lunch, why don't you and Aly head on down to the beach, and she can show you around, introduce you to a few people? I've got to go out and get a few things at the store, and it'll be real boring. You're better off going with Alyssa."

He was grasping at straws here, and he knew that perfectly well, but he still bit his lip in anticipation of her answer. She looked reluctant, and Alyssa looked doubtful, but there must have been something in his voice that changed her mind, for she rolled her eyes, sighing as she nodded her head.

"I guess that would be okay," she said, not sounding at all like it was okay. "When is lunch, anyway?"

"I'll go make it now," Derek said, wanting to speed things along as quickly as possible. It was obvious that this was going to be a very awkward day, and if that was true, he wanted to get it over with as soon as he possibly could.

Alyssa seemed to sense an advantage, and she quickly nodded, jumping up and rushing into the kitchen after Derek.

"I'll help."

Casey stared after her, glaring at the back of her head. Derek caught this out of the corner of his eye, and he rather thought that, if looks could kill, Alyssa would've dropped to the ground long before, dead. This was just typical of his luck. Casey only got jealous when there was absolutely nothing to be jealous over, and over his _best friend,_ no less. Alyssa was absolutely no threat to Casey, and really, Derek had to wonder why there was a threat at all. Casey didn't love him. Yes, she was flirting with him, and he had to wonder if maybe she had _some_ sort of feelings for him, but he wasn't interested, right now. It wasn't that he didn't love her, because he did, as much as ever. But she was on the rebound, right now, and he was worried that she was just going after whoever cared, whoever was there for her, in her sad attempt to get over Max. And he didn't want to be the rebound guy, the guy she used for two weeks, and then dropped at the first chance she got, when someone better came along.

So, as much as it killed him to do it, he was ignoring her flirting, and pretending like she wasn't doing a thing wrong.

And he would pretend like everytime she gave him that penetrating stare, he didn't want to kiss her more than ever.

- - - -

"Derek," Alyssa laughed, as he kept on tickling her, backing her up against the counter. "D-Derek, give it up! Come on, I'm trying to get m-more..."

"Get more what, Lyss?" he questioned, grinning happily as he continued to tickle her, his hands moving quicker than his mind could process. "You want me to tickle you more? Is that what it is, Aly?"

She gasped for air, shaking her head as her face went red from laughing so hard.

"N-No," she said, as Casey stabbed moodily at a french fry on her plate, nibbling on the end of it as she attempted to ignore what was going on a few feet away from her.

"Derek!" Alyssa cried, her stomach beginning to hurt from laughing so much. "Please stop it! I just w-want to get more fries."

He grabbed her around the waist, his arms finally growing tired, and he held her back as he kept her against his body, grinning over her shoulder.

"Go ahead," he mused, nodding towards the tray of fries about a foot in front of her, just out of reaching distance. "I'm not stopping you, am I?"

"Derek!" she cried again, and he laughed, placing his chin on her shoulder gently, grinning like an idiot. "I'm hungry! I want to eat."

He rolled his eyes, before letting her go, and grabbing the refilled plate of fries that he had gotten up to get. He couldn't even remember how their little tickling war had begun, now. He stuck his tongue out at her as he returned to the table, plopping down in the chair right next to Casey, who was slumped over, a scowl on her features as she stared at her plate blankly.

"Hey, Casey," he said, sensing her discomfort. "Are you... uh, okay? You seem sort of mad."

She looked up at him, making the scowl vanish, though her eyes remained cold and angry, blocking him out entirely.

"Why would I be mad?" she asked, shooting Alyssa a cold glare as the second girl returned to the table, fixing the parting in her hair, which Derek had messed up. He frowned as he looked from Casey to Alyssa, and only then did he realize how he had been fooling around with Alyssa, right in front of Casey. It was normal to him, since they always fooled around like that together, but Casey had no way of knowing that.

"Never mind," he said quickly, shaking his head as he looked back down at his plate. "It's not important, I guess. But I'm actually full... so, uh, I'm gonna go and get ready to go to the store. You guys have fun at the beach, okay?"

Casey looked up, and their eyes met as she nodded her head, looking away quickly. Derek had paused, frozen to the spot as he watched her; she had looked so much like she wanted to say something more to him, then. But he told himself that he was being silly, and way too hopeful, and he forced himself to nod his head at them, and grab the cold plate in his hand, backing up towards the sink.

"I should be back in an hour or two," he said to them, as he scraped the remaining fries off of his plate, and into the garbage can. "Aly, you've got a key to the apartment, right? Just in case you guys need to get back in here for anything. You never know."

Alyssa, who looked as though she felt slightly unwanted, gave him a tiny nod, smiling as best as she could, without seeming like she was flirting. That was the last thing she would have wanted- to make Casey think she was flirting with Derek. She forced out a tiny 'yes', and Casey rolled her eyes anyway, looking away.

"Of course she has a key to your apartment," she muttered, and Derek blinked at her a couple of times, but decided to ignore her; she was being absolutely ridiculous, right about now, and he really didn't want to deal with any chick drama between Casey, and his best friend. It was way too complicated to even bother getting involved with.

"Alright then," he said, and he hesitated in who he should say goodbye to first. Heaven forbid he say goodbye to one girl before the other. So he nodded at the both of them in general, and grabbed his car keys in one hand, backing up towards the front door of his apartment.

"I'm gone."

- - - -

It took Derek nearly two hours to get home again, after his visit to the store. It would normally only take him under an hour to get there, get what he needed, and get back. again. But today, he had gotten held up twice. The first time had been in the lineup, when some old woman at the front of the checkout had insisted that the store was overcharging her for her tinned cat food, and the second had been on his way out of the store, when he had gotten sidetracked by a pretty blonde girl, who had claimed that he looked stunning. Derek, of course, was too egotistical to turn her down, and had therefore engaged in a half an hour conversation with her. It had been okay at first, but once she had gone on to talk about some issue she was having with her older sister, he had gotten bored. This was way out of his league, and he just wanted to get home, and get back to Casey, even if that meant dealing with all of her chick drama.

By the time he walked up the hall, at suppertime, with a couple of bags in each hand, he was tired of listening to girls ramble on about their issues with their sisters, or their friends, or anything at all. He just wanted to shut his eyes, and go to sleep for several hours, after taking several extra-strength Advil.

He frowned as he paused outside the front door to his apartment, listening to what was going on inside. He could hear laughter floating through the crack in the bottom of the door, and his eyebrows scrunched together as he reached for the doorknob, pushing the door open. The laughter couldn't be from Casey and Alyssa, actually getting along, could it?

But he felt his stomach clench unpleasantly as he caught sight of Casey sitting on the couch, with a tanned, brown haired, walking steroid. The guy was practically made of muscle, and Casey was clinging onto him as though he was made of velcro, or superglue. He was grinning, as his muscles practically tore through the wifebeater he was wearing, and Casey continued to laugh at whatever it was he had just said.

Alyssa was sitting across the room in an armchair, her legs curled up underneath her, and her head resting against her chin as she stared down at the floor, her eyes half open.

And Derek stood there like an idiot, taking in the sight of his best friend, his ex-girlfriend, and Muscle-Man, lofting around in his apartment as though it was their own. He didn't mind Casey, and he didn't mind Alyssa, but this fangirl-magnet in the making? Yeah, he had to go.

"Um, hi?" he said hesitantly, his eyes fixed on Casey as she looked over, spotting her stepbrother standing there, arms full of bags from the store. Alyssa looked over at him, and he spared her a glance as she shook her head at him, as though in apology for the fact that he had some random guy sitting on his couch. Casey's eyes were filled with nothing but some sense of power as she smirked at him, never letting go of the guy's arm.

"Hey, Derek," she said, her voice smug and knowing. "This is Travis; we met him at the beach. He's a lifegaurd."

Travis nodded towards Derek, in what Derek hoped hadn't been an attempt to be cool, because that was the farthest from what he needed to fake.

"Sup?" he asked, and Derek's only response was the shake of his head as he turned back to Casey, looking bewildered.

"Um..."

She ignored his obvious issues as she nodded towards Derek, still clutching onto his arm.

"And this is my stepbrother, Derek," she said, pulling one hand back to flick her hair over her shoulder. "This is his apartment."

Derek fought back the urge to use that little bit of knowledge to his advantage, and kick Travis the Muscle Man out of his apartment, but he decided against it as he shook his head, feeling anger bubble up in him. This wasn't right. This wasn't right at all, and it wasn't what he wanted. It had taken him a whole day of denying it to himself, but he wasn't going to let Casey move onto another guy. This wasn't fair. It was him who had been there for her for months, him who had flown out of the country to rescue her from an abusive boyfriend. It had always been him, but he wasn't going to sit here and let her use him forever. He knew she had to feel _something_ for him, even if she was on the rebound. This feeling was too strong to be unrequited. And for her to absolutely ignore him, and move onto some guy who hadn't done a thing for her, after everything Derek had gone through for her... it wasn't right, and it wasn't fair. And he wasn't going to put up with it.

"So what is this," he questioned, as he dropped his bags by the door, and took a couple of steps into his apartment, his fists clenched angrily. She cringed slightly, sensing his anger, and even Alyssa sat up straighter now, knowing her friend well enough to know that he was about to do something incredibly stupid. His eyes were flashing angrily as he stopped a few feet away from the side of the couch where Casey and Travis were sitting, his expression hurt, confused, and angry.

"Is this your new boyfriend now, Casey?" he asked, a pained expression crossing his face. "Is this who you're replacing Max with?"

The smile was quickly beginning to wipe off her face, and even Casey could see that she was going too far, bringing another guy home to Derek's apartment. But Travis sensed nothing off of Derek, and he grinned, shifting Casey a little bit closer, not knowing that the gaze in Derek's eyes was protective, and murderous, and that he was currently clutching onto some other guy's girl. And when you touched Derek's girl, he was never too forgiving.

"I dunno about boyfriend," he said, shrugging, "-but she's definitely a babe, dude. You're lucky to be living under the same roof as this lovely lady, right here."

Derek's expression was blank, and he fought back the urge to knock Travis out, then and there. He turned to Casey, his eyes nothing but hurt and confused as he shook his head at her, clearly through with all of this.

"So this is it, is it, Case?" he questioned, his tone expressing how broken he was. "You're gonna pretend like I haven't been protecting you from _everything_ in hell and back, over the past few months. You're gonna deny that you feel anything for me, and just move onto some guy who means nothing to you. Is that the way this is gonna work? Is this how this is going to end?"

She squinted at him, no longer smiling, no longer smug. She seemed to be seeing only Derek, and it was obvious to everyone in that room that they could only sense each other's presence, right now. Nobody else mattered. Alyssa's hopeful and worried stare was invisible to Derek, and Travis' confusion wasn't even noted as they kept their gazes locked, and she chose not to respond to him. But someone had to speak, so he went on, letting out whatever he felt, because hell knows there was no such thing as a third chance to say what you needed to say, in his life, anyway.

"Fine," he said, his voice angry as he backed up, his voice cracking slightly as he tried his hardest to look away from her, but failing miserably. "Go with your second choice; be with the rebound guy who means absolutely nothing to you. Ignore the fact that I've given up nearly a year of my life to make you happy, and pretend like me and you never shared a god damn thing together. But you know what? I know, and I'll remember. But if you leave me hanging now, there's no going back, Casey. It's now or never, because I'm not waiting around for you anymore."

She stared at him, and he felt his throat go dry as he waited anxiously, clenching his hands together as he tried to keep the contents of his stomach down. He desperately needed her to say something, anything, but no words left her mouth. She opened it up, but had nothing to say as it fell shut again, and she shook her head, unable to speak. He felt his heart break all over again, and he fought back what he told himself wasn't tears, as he reached behind him for the doorknob, giving her one last longing look, begging her to say something.

"Fine," he muttered, shaking his head at her. "I'm through with you, Casey. I'm through with having you break my heart all over again, and go onto guys who've done nothing at all to help you. I gave you chances, plenty of them, and... I'm out of patience. I'm not waiting any longer for you."

He laughed sadly as he yanked the door open, and held up his hands, using his foot to keep the door open.

"We're done."

Without another word, he ran. He vaguely heard the silence of the apartment behind him, and the sound of the door slamming shut. He distantly heard the sound of someone calling out for him to come back, to wait, that he just _didn't understand_. Screw her. He understood everything, twenty times better than she ever would. He understood love, and he understood true heartbreak, and real pain. He understood that there was an end to everything, and this was going to be the end of his pain, and his misery.

He wasn't sure how he got there, but a few minutes later, he found himself outside, standing in the pouring rain, his black and grey hoodie sticking to his skin as he fumbled for his car keys, holding one arm up to shield his head from the rain. He cursed as he dug deeper into his pockets, unable to find the keys.

"I'd better not have left them up there," he muttered darkly, as he turned to glance up at the window to his apartment. As he did, he spotted Casey running towards him, wearing nothing but a t-shirt as the rain splashed down onto her skin, causing her to shiver slightly. A clap of thunder could be heard overheard, and she cringed, but kept on running across the parking lot.

He stared at her for a moment, before cursing under his breath, and turning back, tugging on the door handle desperately, as though it would magically open. He didn't consider the fact that he still couldn't get anywhere, with no keys. He was too preoccupied on just getting away from Casey, even if that distance was nothing more than a car door between them.

"Derek," she called out, over the sound of the pouring rain as she finally reached him. Panting for air, she reached out, and clutched his wrist desperately. "Derek, I'm so glad I found-"

"Screw off, Casey."

He yanked his wrist from her grip, and turned back to the car, tugging even harder on the door handle.

"Damn thing won't open," he muttered, his heart aching painfully as he tried not to turn around and face her. He didn't want to give in. When the door wouldn't open, and she wouldn't leave, he turned, his eyes flashing angrily. Despite everything, he still cared for her, and the sight of her standing there, soaking wet, and freezing cold, still affected him. He shook his head, gripping her arms as teardrops clung to her eyelashes, and she squinted through the rain as the drops sounded heavily against the pavement, and her chest rose and fell heavily as she struggled to breathe.

"Casey, go inside," he said loudly, struggling to be heard over the heavy rain. "You're going to get sick."

"I don't care," she said, shaking her head as he kept his hands on her upper arms, squinting at her through the water that fell between them. "Derek, I-"

"I'm through with you, Casey!" he yelled at her, ignoring the lump in the back of his throat that told him to just shut up and kiss her. "I'm through with the pain. I'm through with being hurt by you, and I'm through with doing nice things for you, when in the end, you turn to guys who you don't even know, just so you can have _somebody._ Well, guess what, Princess? You've had somebody all along. I'm here; I've always been here, waiting, hurting, and just praying you'd come to your senses. But you never, and I'm fuckin' done with it!"

He pushed past her, his heart beating madly in his chest as she reached for his wrist, but failed, for he was walking too fast.

"Derek!" she called out, her voice desperate. "Derek, wait!"

He turned, though his heart begged him to just leave, to end the pain, but he could never turn away from Casey, when she sounded desperate, like that. So he took a few steps towards her, his arms hanging helplessly by his sides as he shook his head at her, ignoring the clap of thunder sounding overhead, rumbling violently as he stared at the girl in front of him. She was so beautiful, and he was so in love with her. It occured to him that maybe he always would be, but maybe, he just wasn't the right guy for her. Maybe he'd been holding onto something that wasn't supposed to happen at all.

"I... I... think that I might be..." she started, as she took one final step towards him, and drew in a deep breath. He frowned with confusion, unsure as to what she was trying to say, and he shook his head, confusion evident in his eyes.

"I don't know what you're saying," he said, and she drew in as deep of a breath as possible, raising her gaze to meet his bravely. It was now or never. And as her clothes clung to her skin helplessly, her hair fell around her eyes in messy strands, and her skin began to fill with little goosebumps, she finally spoke.

"Derek," she whispered through the rain, and it was amazing that he could even hear her, through all of this.

He breathed heavily, his face screwed up painfully as he gave her one more searching look, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah?"

She tilted her head to the side for a moment, before looking back at him, tears forming in her eyes, and slipping down her cheeks, mixing with the cold raindrops that were splashing across her face. They melded together into one, and you could barely even tell she was crying. But the pain in her voice was all it took to know that she was hurting, right now.

"Derek, I remember."

* * *

**So hopefully that will keep you happy for today! Anyway, there is still some drama between them. Review, and I'll update. **


	27. Frequent Flyers

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter Twenty-Seven: Frequent Flyer**

Time must have frozen for him, because since the moment those words had left Casey's mouth, he had found himself frozen to the spot, immobile, unable to speak. He felt like his feet were glued to the ground, and although he could still feel the rain pouring down around him, and hear the distant rumbling of the thunder showing off it's power, he felt like everything had just stopped moving, because Casey couldn't have just said what he had thought she said. Casey remembering... it all seemed too surreal to even imagine. He had been living his life in a whole new light for months now, and while he didn't exactly like it, he had adjusted. And he really didn't want to get his hopes up, if she was just lying to him. This life may not be perfect, or even enjoyable, but it was what he had grown used to, and it was what he was growing comfortable with.

But he found the courage to look her in the eye, and time rolled from half speed, settling back into an easy pace as he began to acknowledge the rain slipping down his skin swiftly. He squinted at her, and saw that she was shivering, the cool rain showing no mercy on her bare arms. She was still crying, though it was almost impossible to tell, through the rain. The gentle shaking of her shoulders, and the pain in her eyes, was the only sign that she was crying at all.

"You... you... what?" he stammered out, his voice choked up as he struggled to say something, anything. "You can't be serious."

She nodded, her arms folding together as she stepped towards him a little bit, her gaze affectionate, for once. And there was something more in her eyes; it was remorse, perhaps for what she had put him through over the past few months. But he had no way of being certain, and he wasn't one to let his hopes up that easily, anymore. He'd had his heart broken too many times to allow himself to get carried away, like that.

"I'm serious," she said quietly, her voice pained. "I remember you... me... _us_. God, Derek, it's just so... so..."

She trailed off, unable to finish her sentence, and he stared at her with a mixture of hope, confusion, and hurt. He wasn't sure whether or not he should buy this, or if this was just some last ditch attempt to get him to stay there with her. He knew how badly she needed someone right now, and hell, faking her memories would be a great way to get him to stay, wouldn't it?

"I don't buy it," he said, shaking his head as he gave a choked laugh. "Jesus, Casey. You can't just fake a couple of memories so that I'll come back to you, and you'll have someone there to take care of you. That's not the way it goes, not at all... and I thought even you had enough decency to understand that. I'm not going to sit back and let you use me. Faking something like this isn't even funny, not in the slightest."

Her eyes widened as she realized that he didn't believe her, and she shook her head, giving him a desperate look.

"Derek, I'm not lying," she got out, her voice surprised. "Not at all. I... I wouldn't lie to you about this. I really do remember."

"Bullshit," he muttered, his voice coming out harsh as he fought back the lump in his throat. "I've been through enough, Casey. I don't want you playing mind games with me. You've already fucked me up completely; don't you understand that? You've got me _so _messed up, right about now, and to make up shit like that... and give me the slightest bit of hope... it's not fair, Casey. This is taking it too far."

He eyes were suddenly fearful, as though she was scared that he wasnt going to believe her, and that she was going to have to deal with him walking away from her, for good. She clutched onto his wrist gently, looking up as his brown hair fell into messy strands around his eyes, masking some of the emotion on his features.

"This isn't a lie, I promise you," she said, as quietly as she could, through the sound of the rain and the thunder. "I... I started remembering when we were back in Toronto, the day before you even came to find me. I lied, when you asked me about remembering.When I was up at that cabin, and I was up in that room by myself, I... I had alot of time to think. I would just lie there for hours, and think, and ocassionally, a thought would pop into my mind that I didn't recognize, and it was scary, because I'd get these memories of you that I had no idea had ever happened, and even if I just thought about you, I'd get these weird feelings creeping up in me... like... affection, or something. And it scared the hell out of me, thinking that maybe you had been right all along, and that maybe you knew me better than I knew myself. So I fought all those feelings off, but I can see now that it got me nowhere. In the end, I couldn't fight the fact that... I belong with you, Derek. I never should've fought that, because I know now that you're the one I'm supposed to be with, not Max."

He squinted at her, as though he was beginning to believe her, and for a split second, she thought she had him. She thought that he was going to give in, and take her back, tell her how sorry he was for not believing her. But this was Derek, and he was a very stubborn guy, when he wanted to be. And apparantly, he really wanted to be stubborn now, because he shook his head at her, still looking angry and hurt.

"Cut it out with your whining," he said, taking a step away from her. "I'm sick of this, Casey, and quite frankly, I'm sick of you! You give off more mixed signals than any girl I've ever known, and that's saying alot, considering I dated Sally, and that girl was more mixed up than Michael Jackson's sexuality."

Casey nearly smiled at that one, but Derek was nowhere near smiling as he ran a hand through his soaking wet hair, frustrated. She fought back the smile as she stared at him, waiting for him to say something. But all he did was let out a low growl in the back of his throat, and curse, stomping his foot against the wet pavement with frustration.

"Dammit, Casey," he grumbled, clearly fed up with her. "Do you know how frustrating it is, to love someone so much, and then have them shove you away time after time? I practically begged you to come back to me. Short of getting on my knees, and crying until you came back, I think I did everything in my power to try and persuade you back to me, and not once did you show a hint of interest. Do you know how hard it is for me to think that you suddenly want me again, out of absolutely nowhere? Especially considering the fact that remembering would be an awful good excuse for me to stay here, right?"

"Derek," she said, shaking her head. "Please, it's not like that."

This was getting him nowhere. He was making his points, and she was arguing with them, and vice versa, and they both knew that continuing this streak would get them absolutely nowhere. So he sighed, deciding that it was at least worth a chance to give her a shot at proving herself. Groaning in frustration, he placed his hands in his pockets, feeling rather annoyed when he _finally_ found those damn car keys. Irony was so frustrating, sometimes. He rolled his eyes, and placed the key in the door, turning it, and reaching around to unlock the back door. Casey looked frightened that he was going to run off on her, without another word, but he merely nodded towards the door, and pulled it open, frowning.

"Get in," he said, motioning towards the backseat. She gave him a funny look, but obliged almost immediately, clambering into the backseat. He followed her, and closed the door roughly behind him, his body immediately thanking him for the slight warmth that the car provided. He rubbed his hands together as he leaned against the door, and then reached up to brush his hair away from his eyes. The windows were already fogging up from their wet bodies, and the seats would be wet, but he didn't mind; it was ridiculous to stand out in the pouring rain, having that sort of an argument. He somehow doubted this would be a short conversation.

"Tell me, Casey," he said, deciding it was best to give her a chance. "If you really remember us, then you should know the answer to this question. What was it that I asked you the night before we went to get the pregnancy test, when we were sitting around in the bedroom, huh? What was it I asked you if you were going to do?"

She stared into his anxious eyes, and she could tell that he was still allowing himself to feel hopeful, no matter how much he was fighting it. She thought as hard as she possibly could, but when nothing came to her, she was forced to shake her head, her cheeks blushing slightly with embarassment.

"I don't know," she admitted quietly, listening to the sound of the rain pounding against the foggy glass of the windows around her. "I... I don't remember everything, Derek. The details are all fuzzy, but the memories are there. I still don't have everything back, and I don't know if I ever will, but I remember loving you. I remember you being my boyfriend, and... and kissing you, and-"

"Bullshit," he muttered, his eyes darkening as the hope faded away again, and he looked away, cringing. "I don't know why I bothered asking you."

"Jesus, Derek," she got out, tears slipping from her eyes. "What do you want me to do? All I can tell you is that I remember, but you don't believe a word of that. But I _do_ remember, and it's not my fault that I can't remember everything you ask me. I don't have all the answers, but it shouldn't matter. All that should matter is that I love you, and I-"

"Save it," he growled, shaking his head as he reached for the door handle again. If all she could give him was 'I remember loving you," then he wasn't willing to listen. She was obviously lying, so that she wouldn't have to be alone again, and he wasn't really a big fan of being used like this.

He only had one foot out the door, and back into the rain, when he heard her timid voice speak up from behind him, a desperate last ditch attempt to get him to listen to her.

"On our first date, I... I spilled something, when we were out to dinner- soda or something, I'm pretty sure. You... you laughed it off and told me it was okay, but I was still embarassed, 'cause I didn't want to come off as Klutzilla in front of you on our very first date."

Derek's body tensed, and he froze completely, his eyes flickering with hope as he breathed in deeply, and closed his eyes. She paused for breath, for this thinking thing was really hard, when you had to dig this deep for the memories. She sounded like it was actually killing her to scrape up the energy to retrieve these memories, and her fists clenched around the soft fabric of the backseat as he sighed, and pulled himself back into the car, pulling the door shut again. He opened his eyes, but barely allowed himself to feel much more hope as he watched her, nodding his head.

"Go on."

Casey paused; what else did he want? Digging up one memory was hard enough, and now he wanted more? But if she wanted him back, this was what it was going to take, so she took a deep breath, and stared off at the floor, concentrating hard on her past. Derek... Derek... what came to mind when she thought of Derek?

"I wouldn't be with you, if we were going to lie to our parents," she said, the words tumbling from her mouth naturally, before she even recognized that she knew about the memory. "We sat up in your room together for like... hours, after we told them, 'cause we thought they were going to send you to your mother's house."

He definitely looked hopeful now, but he watched her, waiting for more memories to confirm what he desperately needed to hear. She took another deep breath, and went on, finding that it was getting alot easier, now that she had a good flow going.

"Max wrote me some sort of a note, and I... I hid it..." she paused, her eyes squeezing shut as she thought hard, not even noticing the way Derek waited anxiously, like that. Her eyes shot open, and she breathed out heavily as she managed to get her answer out.

"-in one of the books on my bookcase," she said finally, nodding her head. "It was the only evidence I had against him, and I needed it so that you wouldn't get charged with assault against him. You... you beat him up, or something like that, because he r-raped me, the month before. We went to the pregnancy clinic together, and you were checking out the receptionist. I got mad at you for it, and... and..."

She finally looked up, and her eyes glazed over with amazement as she gave a choked sob, managing a tiny smile.

"And that night we were sitting in your room, before we got the pregnancy test, you asked me if I'd ever leave you," she said, and he nearly choked over his own breath, amazed by the answer to his question, which, of course, was the correct answer. "You asked me if I had any plans on leaving you, and I said no. And then I asked if I could sleep in your room, and I stayed there the whole night."

She finally stopped, and her breathing was heavy as she looked into her ex-boyfriend's eyes, still crying, but smiling as she did it. Her smile was shaky and uncertain, as though she was still scared that he wasn't going to believe her, but she gave a nervous laugh, raising an eyebrow.

"Still think I'm lying?"

Derek only stared at the girl for a brief moment, before he had practically fallen towards her, his arms wrapping around her waist as his lips found hers, and he pressed her back against the seat of the car desperately, His hands fumbled up and down her body clumsily, wanting to feel whatever part of Casey he could find, because hell knows he needed to have some sort of reassurance that she was really here. He needed to be certain that this wasn't a dream, and that he wasn't going to wake up at any given moment, to a lonely apartment, and an empty bed, like he had so many times before.

But as the rain pounded against the glass outside the car, he knew this wasn't a dream; it couldn't be a dream. Because the love, and the passion in Casey's kiss was much too strong to be a figment of his imagination. And he was eager to repay that with just as much love and devotion.

- - - -

Derek loved tinted windows. He had always enjoyed the privacy that the they provided, and right now, as he held Casey against his chest happily, his hands stroking her hair calmly, he definitely wasn't complaining. He didn't care that the seats were soaking wet from the rain they'd dragged in, or that he'd just had sex in a car. Right now, he _loved_ cars. He'd proclaim this car to be the new love of his life, if he didn't have Casey lying in his arms, like this. After all, he only had room for one true love, in his heart, and he guessed that Casey would just have to win that battle. She'd definitely put up a good fight, after all.

His chest was rising and falling heavily as he stared blankly at the fogged up window, his eyes half open as he tried to relive every moment of the past half an hour in his head, over and over again. He shouldn't think about it too much, he supposed, since he didn't want to wear off the amazing feeling of it all, but he had a nagging feeling that getting Casey back wasn't a feeling that was going to fade too easily. He'd missed her way too much, and worked much too hard for the feeling to die away this quickly. He felt happy, and by happy, he didn't mean the false sense of security that he had wrapped himself in for the past few months, interrupted only by brief periods of smashed hopes, and distractions in the form of other girls, like Alyssa. She had been the only one who had come anywhere close to meaning as much to him as Casey did. In fact, she had been the only girl he'd even done anything with, and he'd been drunk then. It had been nice to have someone who cared about him, and maybe he had deluded himself into thinking that Alyssa was the answer to his problems, for that one night.

But as he lay there, with Casey's head resting against his chest, and his hand rubbing across her back in gentle circles, he realized that the very idea of being with someone else was ridiculous. This was where he belonged, and this was where he would always belong. His love for Casey was more than physical; it was something that he couldn't define in words, something he would never be able to verbalize. But he knew that it didn't matter to her, because it was so obvious how he felt. The look in his eyes when he saw her told her everything that she needed to know. The way he touched her, and kissed her, and even the way he smiled at her said everything about his feelings; he was taken, and he was so in love with her, that he knew it would be impossible to ever feel differently. If his feelings had sustained almost about two months of this torture, he was pretty sure that he had proved how strongly he felt about her.

But after going so long without being able to tell her, he felt that there could be no harm in reminding her a few times that he loved her, and that he wasn't going to leave her. He felt like, if he didn't tell her enough, she'd forget again, and that was something that he didn't wish to relive a second time. Going through life without her had been the worst experience of his eighteen years, and he had no intentions of going back to such a dark place.

"I love you," he murmered, emotion welling up in his throat as he moved his hand from her back to her hair, combing his fingers through the wet strands as gently as possible. "You know that, right?"

Her eyes had been closed, and he feared for half a moment that she had fallen asleep, but when he paused to allow her to reply, a faint smile appeared on her lips, barely enough to be classified as a smile. He heard a soft breath escape past her lips, and she opened her eyes enough to look up at him. He could've sworn that the look she was giving him was even stronger than any look she had given him before, when they had been together. In fact, he was certain that she hadn't looked at him like that during the eight months that they had been a couple.

"Mhm," she murmered, the smile never fading. "I know that, Derek. I love you, too."

His heart leapt at the sound of the words that he had missed so much, and he shook his head. His hair fell around his eyes again, and when he made no motion to move it, she giggled, and reached her hand up, gently brushing the loose hair off of his forehead, and off to the side

"No, baby," he said, his voice a gentle whisper. "I don't think you understand. I mean... I _really_ love you. As in... 'if you leave me ever again, I don't think I'll survive it," sort of love."

She shook her head, her fingers brushing his cheek gently as she placed her thumb under his chin, tilting it down slightly so that she could look into his eyes. She could see the fear there, as though he was scared that she was going to stand up and leave him, at any given second. She knew the effect that the events of the past few months had inflicted upon him, and she knew that Derek wasn't going to be the same old boyfriend that he always had been. He was probably going to be alot more protective now, not to mention insecure, and worried about her every movement.

And she couldn't help him being overprotective, but she could set his mind at ease, at the very least. She knew that he'd probably freak out from time to time anyway, but she wanted nothing more than to erase the fear that was dancing through his eyes right now, and she knew that she could do that.

"I'm not going to leave you," she whispered, her thumb stroking the side of his face gently as she kept his chin in her grip. His eyes flickered hopefully, and she smiled, shaking her head.

"Do you hear me?" she asked, wanting to be sure that he understood. "Repeat after me; Casey's _not_ going to leave me."

"You're not going to leave me," he murmered, his voice disbelieving. When she smiled a little, hope lit up his features, and he nodded his head more confidently, swallowing hard as though some of his doubt would wash away along with it.

"You're not gonna leave me," he said again, nodding his head as though he was trying to get used to the idea. "Not gonna leave..."

He looked down at her, a tiny smile on his face as the meaning of those words began to sink into his mind.

"I think I like that idea," he said happily, feeling better than he had in ages. "Me and you, you know? It's just... it's what I've wanted for so long now. It's _all_ I've wanted for so long now. And to think that you love me back, it's just... it's surreal, to me."

She grinned, sitting up a little in his arms, and leaning back with her head on his shoulder.

"Well I suggest you get used to it, Venturi- 'cause it's true," she said, grinning at him. "I promise you that I remember what went on between us, and I'm sorry for not believing most of what you've been telling me. I'm not gonna doubt anything else you tell me, ever again. Anything you want, you've got it."

A smirk settled in on his lips as he allowed his eyes to scan her body in the most blatant of ways. His excitement only grew as he laughed gently, and reached up to his face to grasp one of her hands in his. He kissed the inside of her wrist, his eyes fixed on hers the whole time.

"I can think of a few things I'd like, right now," he said, winking at her, and she rolled her eyes as he wrapped his arms around her waist, hugging her to his chest. She let out a happy sigh, shaking her head at the guy who was currently holding her as though his life depended on it.

"You're such a dork," she said, smacking his chest gently. He pouted, and she laughed, gripping his face gently between both of her hands, and leaning up to press a quick and simple kiss against his lips. It was only a peck, but to Derek, the feeling was absolutely amazing. This was the sort of thing he had missed, during the past few months. The cute little gestures, the teasing, the little kisses, and the 'together' time, in which they'd just sit there and fool around, publically displaying the fact that they were sickeningly in love. He couldn't keep the smile off his face as she pulled back, his face still in her hands, and grinned at him.

"But you're an adorable dork," she said, and when he raised an eyebrow, she shrugged. "Fine, you're _my_ adorable dork; is that better?"

"Much better."

He grinned, and leaned his body forwards slightly, waiting expectantly for a kiss. She had no problem with this, and leaned up, moving in so that she could press her lips to his. She was only going to let it last a second, for she began to pull away again, but the second her lips left his, he wrapped his arms around her waist, his forehead pressed against hers as he shook his head, looking into her eyes with a dazed sort of look, as though he couldn't believe this was really happening.

"We've been apart for like, three months," he said, laughing gently. "The least you can do is kiss me, woman."

She laughed along with him, and rolled her eyes as she gripped his face in her hands, and allowed her body to relax into his arms. She was perfectly happy to give him what he wanted, because hell, they both deserved a bit of happiness, after everything that they had gone through lately. Derek loved Casey, and she loved him back just as much, and it was obvious that they both needed to be reassured of the fact that neither one of them was going anywhere anytime soon.

- - - -

Derek walked back to the apartment about a half an hour later, his clothes soaked, his hair frizzy from the way in which it had dried, but with a smile on his face. His hand was clasped tightly with Casey's, and they kept stopping every couple of feet, just so he could kiss her, or they could start a little tickle-fight. He didn't care if it took him a year to get back up these stairs, so long as every single one of his distractions consisted of getting to flirt with Casey, or even better- kiss her.

He stopped just outside the front door to his apartment as he slid his hands up to hold onto both her wrists, grinning like an idiot as he held her hands down by her sides, allowing his fingers to brush against her sides. This had always been one of the easiest places to tickle her, and he grinned when she giggled, leaning to one side slightly to try and keep him from inflicting too much embarassment upon her.

"Derek!" she giggled, trying to push his hands away from her waist. "C'mon, you know how ticklish I am!"

"That's sort of the point," he reminded her, grinning when she bit her lip to keep from laughing too loudly. He didn't want to cause anyone any disruption, so he sighed, and moved his hands back down, lacing his fingers with hers on each hand. He was being sickeningly sweet, and he knew that he was probably spoiling the poor girl to death, but that was okay. He was willing to sacrifice his 'tough-guy' attitude, if it meant that he could be a good boyfriend to Casey again. He was just so caught up in the bliss of having her back, that he wanted to make the glory of it all last as long as it possibly could.

He leaned down, kissing her gently on the lips, but he kept it simple as he pulled back, smiling at her.

"We might as well go in and get dryed off," he said, his hands gripping hers tightly as he kept his eyes on her. "I wonder if Travis is still in there. The poor guy; you're gonna have to tell him that you can't see him, 'cause I don't think your boyfriend is going to be too happy about you seeing some walking steroid like him."

She raised an eyebrow, happiness flickering across her face as her cheeks blushed a light shade of red.

"Boyfriend, huh?" she questioned, her voice laced with pure excitement at the idea. "Is that what this means?"

Derek nodded, raising one of her hands up so that he could kiss the inside of her wrist, his eyes never leaving hers.

"That's exactly what this means," he confirmed, his voice determined. "You're stuck with me now, McDonald. There's no escaping."

She grinned, shrugging her shoulders.

"I guess I can learn to deal with that," she teased, leaning in close to him, her body resting against his chest as she released her arms from his to wrap them around his neck in a hug. He rested his chin on top of her head, his arms wrapping around her waist as he hugged her to him. As he stared off absent-mindedly, merely enjoying the feeling of having her close like this, something occured to him, and he bit his lip, not wanting to ruin the moment by bringing up a sore subject for her, but knowing that it had to be dealt with immediately.

"I want to tell Alyssa, okay?" he said, his voice cautious as he felt her body tense slightly in his arms. "I'm her best friend, and I think it's better if I tell her. I don't want to... you know, force anything on her. So just... play it cool. You can go unpack some more of your things, if you want, and I'll tell her what's going on. It's better for us not to keep secrets."

She looked hesitant, but nodded her head, her eyes trusting.

"Okay," she said, and she gave him one last kiss, smiling. "I love you, though."

"Doesn't everyone?" he teased, and he let go of her hand as he reached for the doorknob, taking a deep breath.

The first thing that he noticed was that Travis had disappeared, apparantly catching onto the fact that his presence was no longer necessary. Neither of them knew where he was gone, and neither of them really cared, either. Casey followed closely behind Derek, not holding onto him, so that Alyssa would suspect nothing. The girl was sitting at the table, doing one of the wordsearches that came in the newspaper. She looked up upon hearing noise, and she looked slightly surprised when she saw both Casey and Derek entering the apartment, neither of them looking too upset.

"Uh, hey guys," she said cautiously, her eyes flickering back and forth between the two of them. Derek couldn't blame the girl for being so surprised; he _had_ left the apartment in a very enraged state, and things hadn't looked too promising, at the time.

"Hey, Aly," he said, and with a simple nod towards Casey, she had gone off in the direction of Derek's bedroom, recognizing that Derek was going to try and explain things to Alyssa.

The second the bedroom door could be heard closing, he turned to his friend, his hands in his pockets as he took a deep breath, pushing himself away from the door to take a couple of steps towards her.

"I got her back," he said slowly, watching her carefully for any sign of a reaction. "Casey, that is. Me and her, we're back together."

Alyssa's eyes were only filled with pain for all of a moment, before she raised her eyebrows, clearly putting her happiness for her best friend before her silly little crush on him. She smiled happily, before taking a few steps forward, surprised.

"Wow, Derek," she said, shaking her head. "You and Casey, back together. This is like... your dream, huh? I know how long you've been waiting for something like this to happen. You really deserve this; you held out for your girl, and you got her. I'm happy for you."

He raised an eyebrow, surprised that it had gone over that easily, that fast.

"Really?" he questioned, frowning. "You're really happy for me? You mean it?"

She laughed gently, taking a step towards him as she nodded her head, clearly being honest.

"Yeah, I really do," she said, and there was not a hint of dishonesty in her voice when she said that. "You're happy, and who am I to interfere with that?"

He stared at her for a moment, before taking a step forwards, his hands slipping out of his pockets to pull her into a hug. He grinned as her arms wrapped around his neck, and she hugged him back.

"Thank God," he said, feeling relief shoot through him. "I thought because of everything that happened with me and you... you know, when we were together..."

"It's not a big deal, Derek," she said, keeping her arms around his neck as she pulled back from the hug. "Me and you... we slept together, yeah, but-"

She stopped quickly when she heard a sharp intake of breath from the other side of the room, and they both turned to see Casey standing there, her eyes wide as she stared at the two of them in shock. Derek's heart clenched, and he immediately pushed Alyssa away from him as gently as possible, so that the situation wouldn't look so compromising. He shook his head at his girlfriend, not wanting to let this get out of control before the anger even started.

"Case, it's not what you-"

"So you guys really are together," she got out, her voice choked up. "Guess I really did wait too long, huh? So what, Derek? Were you planning on seeing me on the side, or something? Was I just going to be the _other _girlfriend, the one you could be with when you came back to Canada? Was I just some sort of backup, for when you finished university?"

He shook his head, not wanting her to get the wrong idea out of this. He could tell he was off to a bad start, on that one. The look in her eyes as they filled with tears suggested that she was already assuming the worst. To be honest, the thought of using her as a backup girlfriend would have never crossed his mind, because he loved her way too much to do something like that to her. To be honest, he had forgotten that they were going to be living in different countries, now. How was that supposed to work? The bliss and natural high he had been feeling only moments before was suddenly crashing down, and he felt panic overwhelm him as a million questions skyrocketed through his mind faster than lightning. But none of that mattered to him; all that mattered was making sure Casey knew that she was wrong about him and Alyssa, and that she was the only girl he loved.

"Casey, no," he said, taking a couple of steps towards her. "It's nothing like that, baby. God no."

Alyssa took a couple of steps towards the girl who so despised her, shaking her head with just as much determination as her best friend.

"Really, Casey... he wasn't going to do anything like that. It's not what it sounded-"

"_You_ stay away from me," she got out, a tear sliding down her cheek quickly. She wiped it away as fast as she could, and shook her head at the two of them. "I knew coming here was a bad idea. I'm sorry for interfering with your little love life. Go on ahead, I'm not gonna bother you."

Without another word, she turned, and ran from the apartment, grabbing her wallet off the table on the way out. The door slammed behind her, and the sound of her footsteps could be heard retreating towards the stairs. Derek stood there, stock still, unable to think, or move, or process a single thing. Casey had just walked out on him, again. He'd had her back for less than an hour, and she was already gone.

Alyssa bit her lip, her fingers brushing against Derek's elbow gently as she tilted her head, trying to look at him more carefully.

"Derek?" she questioned, but all he did was shake his head, and turn to her, his eyes wide.

"The damn girl needs to be tied down, I swear to God," he muttered, running a hand through his hair as he started shuffling around the apartment quickly, searching for his wallet. "She runs away like some sort of problem child. Well she's not gonna get away from me. Does she honestly think I'm just gonna let her go?"

"Where _are _you going?" she questioned, sighing as she watched him run around desperately for what felt like the ten thousandth time this week. "Let me guess, Ontario?"

"If that's where she's going, then yes."

He grabbed his jacket off of the back of one of his chairs, shrugging into it as he headed towards the door, adjusting the collar of the coat as he went. He yanked the door open, storming out after his girlfriend, and Alyssa shook her head, leaning forwards and yelling after the guy who had just disappeared so quickly.

"Why don't you guys just move onto a plane?" she called out, as the door slammed. She shook her head, folding her arms across her chest as she let out an annoyed sigh, frustrated with the two of them. "That's where you spend all your time now, anyway. I'm sure the pilot can put up with the constant drama, 'cause I sure can't. The two of you are worse than a soap opera, I swear."

* * *

**Yeah, yeah, I can't let them be happy for a full chapter, I know. You know me, I love the drama! Review, and I'll update. **


	28. In The End

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter Twenty-Eight: In the End**

Derek absolutely hated being in places that were unfamiliar to him. He supposed that moving to another country would slightly contradict that statement, but that had been a necessity. Running around the airport in Los Angeles, desperately searching for his girlfriend, was just annoying. He knew she'd be here, since she didn't know her way around California at all. And he knew she'd probably be heading back to Ontario on the soonest flight that she could possibly catch. And, judging by the display board that was above his head, it looked like that flight left in thirty five minutes. He knew that if he didn't find her within the next ten minutes, she would have gone on past the boarding gates, and he couldn't really get to her, after that. So finding her in due time was becoming increasingly important, and an absolute necessity.

He had already searched the entire lounge, the check-in desk, and he'd asked an elderly woman near the washrooms to try and see if she was in there. But he'd had absolutely no luck, and he was beginning to run out of ideas. Where the hell could the girl have gone? He was ninety-nine percent positive that she would've come here. He knew Casey, and he knew her sort of logic. And while it was not logical in the slightest to think that Derek would ever cheat on her, he understood. The way that he had been holding onto Alyssa, after saying that they had been together, and after Alyssa had mentioned how they had slept together... it must have hurt her so badly. They had just gotten back together, and it hadn't helped that he had wanted to fill Alyssa in on his own, with no assistance from her whatsoever. To Casey, he must seem like such an asshole. But he wasn't, and he needed her to know that he was willing to be the perfect boyfriend to her, if she'd just give him the chance to be.

"Damn girl is good at this hiding thing," he muttered, as he leaned up against the wall, tilting his head back and allowing his eyes to fall shut. Where could she possibly be? He had a gnawing feeling in his stomach, and an annoying little singsong voice in his head, one that kept telling him how important it was to find Casey, and that if he didn't find her in the next ten minutes or so...

His eyes flew open, and his palms were sweaty as he pushed himself away from the wall, disgusted at himself for taking a break in the first place.

"I'm not letting her leave," he said confidently, glancing around again. "She's not going anywhere."

"Who are you talking to?"

Derek looked down to see a little boy, who looked to be four or five, biting his lip, and looking up at the young man as though he was absolutely insane. Derek blushed a little, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he gave a careless sort of shrug, trying to play it cool.

"Myself," he noted, raising an eyebrow at the kid. "Is that a problem?"

The boy stared at him, one fist clenching around the hem of his t-shirt, before his face turned fearful, and he ran off in the other direction, looking as though he was about to cry.

"Mommy!"

Derek rolled his eyes as the kid joined his mother, who had been sitting down not too far from them. Damn kids; didn't they know that it was perfectly normal to talk to yourself in a situation such as this one?

He was just about to go and look down in the right end of the airport, and hope to God that she hadn't already gone past boarding, when he caught sight of a girl flicking her hair over her shoulder. His eyes snapped instantly to the girl, and he watched as she glanced up at the flight board, probably scanning for her own flight, to see if there were any delays. Derek felt relief sweep through him at the sight of those curious eyes; it was Casey. She was in dry clothes now, so he supposed she must have gotten changed before she had walked in on Derek and Alyssa. He smiled faintly when he saw that she was wrapped in one of his hoodies, her arms wrapped tightly around herself as though she was cold.

"Casey," he murmered, and without another thought, he had started off towards her, going as fast as he could without actually running. He didn't want to attract any attention to himself, since he didn't want her to see him, and run off in the other direction.

She had her back turned now, as she glanced around the airport at the crowds of people making their way towards boarding. She looked so lonely, with no travel buddy, no carry on luggage, nothing. But he was going to fix that. She was going to be far from lonely when he was done with her.

He stopped behind her, pausing for a moment so that he could catch his breath. He stared at the back of her head, trying not to smile at the thought that he had found her; she wasn't going anywhere.

"You know," he started, causing her to turn around quickly. "-the next time we play hide and seek, I'd prefer you keep it contained to one country, 'cause I'm really running out of cash, going back and forth like this. Games are supposed to be fun, not run you into debt."

Her eyes were slightly wide, and she took a step towards him, her arms still wrapped tightly around her body. She looked like she wasn't sure which emotion was more dominant right now- anger, confusion, or surprise. But she evidently decided to go with the last two, before getting mad at him again, for she shook her head, looking amazed.

"What are you doing here?" she asked him, her voice quiet. "I... I thought you'd..."

He moved towards her, placing one hand gently on her cheek, and brushing her hair away from her eyes so that he could see them better.

"You thought I'd what?" he asked, laughing gently. "Stay home, and mope about losing you? Move onto Alyssa? What was it you thought I'd do? Because I really didn't see any alternative to running after you. I want to be with you, Casey, but I can't do that if you keep pushing me away. You're so damn hard to read sometimes, and you just frustrate me so much. It's never give and take anymore. It's always giving, on my half. All I _take_ is this bullshit you repay me with."

Her eyes narrowed, and it was clear that she was remembering her exact reason for being so angry with him. She took a step away, pushing his hand away from her cheek roughly.

"Well if I'm such a horrible girlfriend, why do you even want me back, huh?"

Derek snorted, folding his arms across his chest.

"I ask myself that question every single day," he said, causing her to frown angrily. "And I don't have a half decent answer, but one thing keeps popping into my mind, and it's the only logic I can find behind loving you."

She raised an eyebrow expectantly, and he shrugged his shoulders, blushing slightly. If this was his last chance at getting her back, he might as well get everything out there, so that he could say he tried his hardest, even if he failed.

"All I know is that... you've made my life a living hell, over the past three months," he said, and the anger in her eyes only multiplied at the sound of his words. "-not intentionally, I'm sure, but you did. I had to watch you let some guy put his hands all over you, and I... I got so messed up in drugs, and alcohol, that I barely even recognized myself, for awhile there. And while we're being honest, yeah, I did cocaine while I was here, because nothing was taking my mind off of you, and I felt like you hated me anyways. So if you hate me for that, I'm sorry, but I've done it."

She looked momentarily torn between flipping out at him for this, or letting him speak, but her better half won that battle, and she gave a quick nod of understanding, motioning for him to continue. He felt relief flicker through him as one of his secrets had been forgiven, and he took a deep breath, continuing.

"You've put me through enough pain to last a lifetime," he said, wanting to get this over with as soon as possible. "But... it... it's weird, because despite everything you've done to me, and despite the fact that you broke my heart..."

He moved towards her, his hand brushing her cheek again as he shrugged, a tiny smile on his lips as he came to a startling realization.

"I can't stop loving you, Casey," he said, his voice honest and gentle. "I've got such a good reason not to love you, and I've tried to hard to move on from you, but nothing worked. And I think it's because I _can't _stop loving you. You're... you're my girl, and something inside of me just won't let that go."

For a moment, he thought he had her. She looked slightly touched by his speech, but the moment she realized that she was going soft, she retaliated. She shook her head at him, her arms unfolding from across her chest as she took a step backwards, anger clear in her eyes.

"I don't care what you have to say, anymore," she said, her voice cruel. "You hooked up with me while you were going out with Alyssa, and that's not cool, Derek. Not at all. You led me to believe that I was going to be the only girl in your life, and I'm willing to bet that's not true. I would've gone back to Canada, not knowing that my boyfriend had another girl on the side."

"I _don't_ have a girl on the side!" he yelled, but she snorted, and began to walk away. He felt his heart beating wildly in his chest as he laughed, stuffing his hands back into his pockets as he watched her walk away from him. She was going purposely slow, and he figured that maybe she was waiting for him to say something that would make her want to stay; so he did.

"Fine," he called out, his voice amused. "Leave. Walk away from the best thing that will ever happen to you; see if I care. But I can tell you now, you'd better not expect much of a Christmas present, because I'm not gonna have much money left, after I'm done chasing you from country to country, like this."

She stopped, but didn't turn as he gave a sad laugh, taking a few slow steps forwards, towards her back.

"I _am_ going to keep chasing after you, Casey, because that's what you do when you love someone enough," he said, shrugging. "You fight for them. And I'm willing to fight to the end, if it means getting you when it's all over. But at this rate, I won't have enough money left to keep you happy, when you finally stop being so stubborn all the time, and sit still for maybe ten seconds."

She fought back a smile as she turned, and gave him a hopeful look, her eyes barely daring to believe it. She bit her lip, looking extremely thoughtful as she took a step towards him, looking pained.

"You promise me that you feel nothing for Alyssa, other than friendship?" she asked, sounding scared. "Promise me that... whatever happened between you guys is over?"

He laughed, feeling slightly hopeful as he stopped in front of her, looking down at her with an affectionate smile.

"Yup," he said, his voice completely honest. "I was drunk, Casey, and I'm sorry. I wanted to forget about you that night, and I... I told her the next day how wrong it was. I told her I love you, and that she can't make me happy like you can. I can promise you that I feel nothing other than friendship for her."

She stared at him for a moment, before slowly leaning against his body, her hands against his chest as his breathing hitched in his throat, and he wrapped his arms around her shakily, pressing a kiss against her forehead. She was his. He had finally gotten her back, and he'd never let anything happen that could tear them apart, ever again.

"I love you," he whispered to her, and he felt her nodding against his chest as she relaxed against him.

"I love you, too," she said honestly, her breathing shaky as she finally began to feel relief. "I'm sorry for getting mad at you. I mean, we technically weren't together then, so I have no right to be mad at you. It's just... I thought that you were seeing her behind my back, and I'm... I'm so sorry. I had no right to do that."

"It's okay," he murmered, his chin resting on top of her head. "As long as I have you, I'm happy. The past doesn't matter."

Before she could respond, there was an announcement made over the loudspeaker, and they both looked up, listening.

"This is the final boarding call for all passengers on flight nine oh three to Toronto, Ontario."

Derek looked down at Casey, holding her even tighter to his chest. He was scared, but he knew that, if she still wanted to go, he'd have to let her. If they were meant to be, the distance wouldn't tear them apart.

"That's your boarding call," he murmered, pressing his lips to her forehead. "You'd better get going, if you still want to leave."

Her eyes met with his, and she shook her head, tears in her eyes as she held onto his shirt.

"I'm not going anywhere without you," she said, her breathing shaky. "I don't know what I'm going to do when school starts, and you'll be here, and I'll be there, and-"

"Shh," he said quietly, shaking his head as he hugged her tightly to him. "None of that matters. I love you, and you love me, and everything is going to work itself out just fine; I promise you."

She looked like she wanted to argue with him on that, but she must have decided that right now wasn't the best time to be arguing about it. Right now was the time to be happy, and get caught up on each other's lives. Because hell knows they wanted to spend every last moment of this summer together, if at all possible. If there was the slightest chance of them being seperated for school, then they'd have to make every minute count.

And as Casey threw away the boarding pass that she had been storing in her pocket, and made her way out of the airport with Derek's hand in hers, she rather felt like nothing else mattered. The distance wouldn't make a difference, because they would always find their way back to each other in the end.

* * *

**I was going to hold off until tonight to update, but I have work right after school, so it would've been a much longer wait. Hope that keeps you slightly happy, for awhile. And for everyone wondering, no, Alyssa is not pregnant. I'm sure I just put a bunch of minds at ease, lol. Review please!**


	29. Epilogue

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**Chapter Twenty-Nine: Epilogue**

It was a regular day at the McDonald-Venturi household. A twelve year old Marti Venturi was downstairs with a couple of her friends, blasting Hannah Montana songs on her karaoke machine, laughing hysterically everytime one of them screwed up the words. Edwin and Lizzie, both eighteen years old, and in their final week of exams, were up in Edwin's attic bedroom, studying hard for the last evaluations of their high school career. Nora was in the kitchen. George was gone to the supermarket, and Casey, who was on the final day of her three day visit to London, was upstairs in her old bedroom, sighing as she watched a group of small children in front of their house play a game of street hockey. She watched as a younger girl, who looked to be no older than three or four, and presumeably the younger sister of one of the kids, jumped up and down, clapping her hands together as she giggled at the group of older kids. Casey smiled faintly, and she placed her hand over her stomach gently as she remembered a conversation she'd had with Derek, during Christmas break of the year that they'd gotten back together.

_- - - -_

_They were lying on her bed in her apartment in Toronto, their hands linked together as she stared up at the ceiling, lost in thought. Derek's flight from California had gotten in earlier that morning, and naturally, they had come straight back to her apartment, so that they could make the most of the two days that they'd have to themselves before they went back to London to stay with the family for Christmas. Derek's classes had let out the day before, for Christmas break, and he had gotten the soonest available flight back to Toronto, flying all night so that he could be there first thing in the morning. She'd met him at the airport, and needless to say, it had been a very happy reunion; Casey hadn't seen him since August, and she had missed him terribly. It had been her idea for him to stay in California, because she didn't want him to give up such a good school for her. He had protested, saying that he could apply to some universities close to her, and move back, but she had told him that she'd deal with the distance, and that they could see each other on holidays and during the summer. And she said that if she had missed him too much, she'd even try and fit in an odd weekend visit every now and then. It was expensive, but their parents had helped them out a bit, knowing how much the two of them missed each other. They were, however, required to pay their own long distance charges, which were practically through the roof, considering how much the two of them talked. They had eventually resorted to buying microphones, and chatting every single night through voice calls on the computer. If they hadn't, they probably wouldn't be able to afford to pay their part on the tickets back and forth. _

_But they had worked it all out, and it made seeing each other all the more worthwhile, on their breaks._

_"Meet any interesting girls, in California?" Casey asked, raising an eyebrow as she stared down at their entwined hands. He snorted in response, and she laughed, kissing the back of his hand gently. "I'm just kidding, Derek. I know I've got no reason to be worried. I know you'd never cheat on me, or anything." _

_He grinned, pulling himself up so that he was lying on one side. He grinned down at her, his hair falling around his eyes in messy strands. _

_  
"Damn straight," he laughed, shaking his head. "None of those girls could ever come close to measuring up to you." _

_He leaned down, pressing his lips against her neck gently, and she smiled as she tilted her head back against the pillow, giving him more access to her neck. He moved his lips up to her jawline, dropping a gentle line of kisses along there as his thumb grazed against the vague sliver of skin between her jeans, and her tank top. _

_"You know why they don't measure up to you?" he questioned, his voice coming out airlike as he glided his lips along her soft skin. She merely nodded in response, too caught up in his actions to speak properly, and he grinned, moving closer to her. _

_"It's 'cause you're absolutely amazing," he said, his lips pressing against her neck again. "Absolutely... and totally amazing." _

_She smiled, her eyes fluttering shut as she let the man compliment her. God, she loved it when he talked to her like that. His voice always got so sexy and deep when he was complimenting her, and half the time, he could get her to do just about anything, if he spoke to her in the right way. She laughed as she brushed her hands against the back of his neck, nodding happily. _

_  
"You're not so bad yourself, Venturi," she noted, and he grinned, shrugging a shoulder carelessly as he placed his hand against her stomach, looking down at her with a mixture of happiness, and amazement. He was always amazed when he got to lie here with her like this, because he had gone for so long without that feeling. Now, he knew how to appreciate it, especially since he only got to see her every couple of months. The time they spent together was so much more amazing, because they knew not to waste it all fighting about stupid stuff; they knew they'd always regret fighting, when the other one went home._

_  
"What are you thinking about?" he asked, his hand sliding up underneath his shirt to rest on the smooth skin on her flat stomach. "Let me guess; your amazing, sexy, wonderful boyfriend, who happens to go by the name of Derek Venturi?" _

_She smiled softly, but there was sadness in it as she gazed off towards the ceiling, shrugging her shoulders slightly. He knew she had something on her mind; it wasn't hard to tell. He could read the girl like an open book, and something was definitely bothering her. And if there was anything that he'd learned over the past year or so, it was to never let a problem go unsolved, in their relationship. She meant too much to him, and he knew that the best way to go about keeping her was to fix any problems that crept up as soon as he possibly could. Because he was never going to lose her again. _

_"I'm not really thinking about you," she said, shrugging, and when his smile faltered, she sighed and continued. "Not exactly. I'm thinking about the baby... the one I lost in the accident, you know? Our baby."_

_Derek tensed slightly, and the smile disappeared off of his face as he remembered how horrible he had felt when the doctor had come into the room to tell them that the baby that his girlfriend had been carrying, the baby that he'd been so excited to find out he was fathering... the baby was gone, and it would never come back again. He had been absolutely heartbroken, and although he rarely brought it up, there was very few days that went by in which he would forget about what they had lost. They'd created a life, and although it had never been introduced to the world, Derek still wondered where he would've been today, if his son or daughter had survived, and Casey had given birth. _

_"What made you think about that?" he asked, wondering where all of this was coming from. "You never mention that, anymore. I sort of figured you didn't want to talk about any of it." _

_Casey shrugged, sighing as she laced her fingers with his on one of her hands, his other hand still resting lightly on her stomach as he watched her curiously. _

_  
"I don't like talking about it," she admitted, sighing. "But I do think about it alot. I mean, I want to know where we would've been now, if we'd had that baby. I get so mad sometimes, wondering what our kid would've been like, and what sort of parents we would've been. I think we would've done alright, and now... we just... we have no way of knowing." _

_He kissed the back of her hand, his eyes locked with hers as he shook his head, sighing. _

_"What happened was horrible, Casey," he said, his voice soft as he tried to reassure her. "We lost our baby, but it wasn't your fault at all, and it... it's something we can't control, okay? I don't want you spending your time torn up about this, when you know just as well as I do that this was never your fault. We'll have another chance to have a child together, someday. When we're finished school, and I move back to Canada and we get settled down... we can start a family. Me, and you... and our kids." _

_"You really mean that?" she asked, squinting at him as her voice filled with amazement. "You really want to have a family with me, one day?" _

_He nodded, no hint of humour on his features as he kissed the inside of her wrist, his eyes never leaving her face. _

_"No one else." _

_- - - - - _

"Mom!" Casey called out, as she jumped up from the windowsill, making her way towards the bedroom door. She pulled it open, rolling her eyes as the sound of her little stepsister's music reached her ears, nearly deafening her. She clutched the doorframe as the steady beat of the music tested her patience, pushing it to the limits.

"Mom!" she tried again, and when her mother didn't respond, she slammed her bedroom door, and made her way down into the kitchen, cringing at the loud music that practically stole her hearing from her. Even with the sliding doors closed, she couldn't hear herself think in that place. Her mother was sitting at the counter, flipping through a newspaper as though nothing was distracting her. Casey frowned, calling out to the woman, before she finally grabbed the newspaper, hauling it away from her to get her attention. How could she concentrate on reading with so much noise around them? But she shoved the thought aside as she leaned closer to her mother, cringing at the noise.

"I'm going now, okay?" she said, as loudly as she possibly could. "I'll call you when his flight gets in to let you know he got here okay."

Her mother nodded, obviously distracted by all of the noise going on around her. It occured to Casey that she probably hadn't even heard a word that had come out of her mouth, but she couldn't bring herself to care.

"Okay, bye."

Without another word, she grabbed her bag, and her car keys off of the counter, and made her way towards the front door, a tiny smile on her lips.

It was time to go get Derek.

- - - -

Derek tapped his foot impatiently against the floor beneath his seat, one hand clutching onto his seat as he waited anxiously for the announcement that would signal he was allowed to get off of the plane. He hated waiting, especially when he was so close to being home for good.

He had just finished university in California, and since he knew it would cost alot of money to ship all of his furniture down, he had sold most of it off for decent prices, and he was saving that money to try and get a new place when he got back to Ontario. He had been living with Alyssa for the past year and a half, since she had caved, and gone to UCLA along with him. She had lived with her aunt for the first year and a half, but eventually, it had just been too hard for Derek to pick her up every single day for school, so she had moved into his apartment, and took on half the rent. Since she would be moving back to Ontario soon as well, she had gone to stay with her aunt for the few days in which she would be staying there, after Derek left.

Derek found his fingers tapping against the armrest, and the man next to him gave him a funny look, as though Derek was merely some sort of impatient child. Derek didn't care; he was home, and he was soon going to get to see everyone that he had missed so much. He hadn't been home in six months now, and he missed everyone like crazy. He'd made new friends in California, of course, but none of them could replace anyone that he had grown up with, and he was eager to get back to the people he'd been missing for the past three years.

He must have been very lost in thought, because before he had even recognized that an announcement had been made, there were people beginning to stand up, and reach into the overhead compartments to get their carry-on luggage. Derek never bothered with any of that foolishness. He had his wallet, his IPOD, and his cellphone, and that was all he really needed with him. His clothes and other belongings had gone on through seperately, of course, but he always enjoyed getting off the plane ahead of everyone else.

He jumped up, and immediately began pushing past everyone who was taking their sweet time to collect their things, not really caring whether or not anyone thought he was rude.

"Excuse me," he said quickly, as he hurried to get off of the plane as soon as possible. People stared after him with raised eyebrows, but he didn't really notice them, and needless to say, he was the first person off the plane, and the first person to step into the waiting area outside the terminal.

He was practically panting for air when he finally came to a stop, and glanced around at the dozens of people who were standing around, hands in their pockets as they waited for their friends or family to get off of the plane. Derek bit his lip as he looked around, searching for that familar head of brown hair that he always saw when he got off the plane. He glanced over to where she usually stood, but didn't see her. He frowned, squinting, and just as he was about to give up and go call her, he heard her voice break through the crowd of people.

"Derek!" she called, and his eyes instantly snapped over to where she stood, against the far back wall. He smiled, and his stomach swirled nervously as he caught sight of her beautiful face smiling over at him, waving her hand happily. She was wearing a blue and white striped tank top, and her dark blue jeans. Her hair was parted off to the right, and she had gotten a cute little sidebang since he had been here last.

He grinned happily, and he didn't hold an ounce of his affection back as he let out a breath of relief, and moved through the crowds of people to get to her. He stopped directly in front of her, his heart beating madly in his chest as he took in the sight of her, unable to believe that she was really here.

"Hey," she said, smiling up at him as she placed her hands in her pockets. "How was the flight?"

He only stared at her for another moment, before he moved forwards, pulling her into his arms roughly and urgently. She smiled as she brought her own arms up around his neck, squeezing him tightly against her as he practically hugged the air out of her in his happiness.

"Oh God," he murmered, his voice choked up as he tried to contain his emotion. "Casey, I've missed you so much. I can't believe I'm finally home."

"I know," she whispered against his ear, smiling as she felt his hair tickling the side of her face. "I've missed you too, baby. I'm so happy you're finally back."

He pulled back, and before she could say anything, his lips were on hers, and she smiled against them as she eagerly kissed him back, one of her hands moving up to tangle through his hair easily. Her fingers raked his scalp gently as she allowed herself to be kissed for the first time in six long months. It was often frustrating, to have nobody to kiss and cuddle with, but when it came down to it, she'd prefer a few months of lonliness at a time, rather than kiss anyone else but Derek.

When she pulled back, he gave her a few quick pecks on the lips, amazed at how he could kiss her so easily, now. She laughed, and he kept his arms around her as he pulled his head back to look her over, still smiling brightly at his situation.

"You look like you've gotten taller," he said, examining every inch of her. "And you got your hair cut. And you've been going to that solarium, haven't you?"

She nodded, laughing at how observant he was.

"You never miss a thing, do you?" she joked, and he shrugged, still grinning. "You're so observant. And yes, I'm going to the solarium, but I can't even compare to your tan. God, you're so dark."

He chuckled as he moved his hand down to grasp hers, and they began walking towards the luggage terminal slowly, wanting to enjoy every last moment with each other.

"I _have_ been living in California, Casey," he reminded her, shaking his head. "I've gotten lots of time in the sun, obviously."

"And at the gym, I take it," she said, her eyes flickering to his abs, which were practically pressing through his blue tshirt. "You're so hot, you know that, don't you? Everytime you come back, you're even more built than when you left."

He smirked as they stopped at the luggage terminal, and he shrugged, pulling her into his arms again, wanting every possible chance to hold her.

"Yeah, well..." he said slowly, examining her quickly with his eyes. "You're not so bad yourself. And I've gotta stay in shape... to make sure my girl doesn't go off and find anyone better, while I'm gone. I gotta give you something to look forward to when I come back. If not, who knows who you'd be with by the time I got back here."

She slapped his chest as she glared at him, and he merely laughed as she frowned, shaking her head to show him he was wrong.

"You're awful," she said, knowing that he was only kidding. "You're my man, and you know it. I wouldn't go off with anyone else, no matter how good looking they were."

He rolled his eyes as she leaned her head against his shoulder, and she looked up at him, her eyes filled with so much affection that he knew he would never have to question how she felt about him, because it was all there in her eyes. It was shining brighter than sunshine, in a fire that he hoped would always burn for him.

She placed her hand softly against his chest as she smiled up at him, unable to process that anyone else was even around them. To her, the only people that exsisted in the airport right about now were her and Derek. She couldn't take her eyes off of him, right now. She had missed him more than she could explain in words, over the past six months. Seeing him three or four times a year had been brutal enough as it was, but Derek hadn't been able to afford a single trip back home between Christmas, and now. He'd had to save his money so that he could afford to move back permanently in summer, and besides that, he had been studying like crazy for his finals. Between everything that had been going on, he hadn't seen his girlfriend as much as he would've liked, but it was paying off now, because it made them even more excited to see each other.

Casey sighed as Derek held her there, staring off towards the luggage terminal, keeping his eye out for his black suitcase. He brought the same luggage set everytime he came; he was used to all of this. Travelling was nothing new to him, by now. He was most definitely a frequent flyer.

"I can't believe you're really back for good," she said, unable to look away from his face. "I mean, I'm used to having to rush everything, because you'll be gone in a week and a half or so; it's so hard to think that we don't have to rush anything this time... you know? You're here to stay, and that's so amazing to me. It's so hard living here without you, and when I watched all my friends fighting with their boyfriends, I just couldn't believe that they'd waste time together like that, when I didn't get time with my boyfriend at all."

He held her tighter, as though trying to reassure her that he really was there, and he wasn't going anywhere.

"Sorry for being away for so long," he murmered, kissing the side of her head. "But hey, at least you've got an educated man now, right? I need to be able to get a good job to take care of you for the rest of your life. You can be a very high maintenance girl, so..."

"Derek!" she cried, slapping his chest as he laughed, catching sight of his luggage coming along in the line. "You're horrible."

He kissed her on the top of the head one last time, chuckling to himself.

"Yeah, I definitely missed you, Case."

She grinned, rolling her eyes at him despite herself.

"Whatever," she mused, shaking her head. "I guess I missed you too, loser."

- - - -

"I can't believe you!" Casey cried out, scowling. "You've been home for less than half an hour, and you're already gawking at some model on TV."

She threw a magazine across the room, aiming for his head, but hitting his chest, and he caught it, laughing as his eyes scanned the cover.

"Mmm, hot chick," he noted, raising an eyebrow at the model on the cover. "Nice choice, baby. Although why you have a magazine full of half naked chicks, I'm not gonna ask."

"It's your brother's," she huffed, rolling her eyes as she crossed her arms across her chest unhappily. "Yet another sign that stupidity and being a pig runs in the Venturi bloodline."

He laughed, and stood up, crossing the room to sit next to her on the couch. Her arms were still folded, and her lips were set in a scowl, but he picked up the remote and turned the TV off, smiling down at his girlfriend. God, that girl could always make him smile; she was just so adorable when she was trying her hardest to be mad at him.

"You're jealous," he said, winking as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "You want me all to yourself, don't you?"

She finally grinned, relaxing against his side as he smirked down at her, and she shrugged her shoulders, nodding shamelessly.

"Yeah, I guess I do," she admitted, and he laughed along with her, hugging her to him happily. "Is that such a crime?"

"Nope," he noted, shrugging one shoulder. "I'm all yours."

She snuggled up against him, sighing happily as she buried her head against his shoulder, allowing one of her hands to come and rest against his chest, her fingers brushing his t-shirt gently. She knew full well that she had Derek's complete and total devotion, but she always felt the need to be reassured when he came back from California. He never got offended or angry with her for asking, and she felt relieved that this was the last time she would ever have to ask him this, since he was back for good.

Taking a deep breath, she glanced up at him, asking the same question she asked every other time he came home.

"You mean you haven't kissed any other girls since I last saw you?" she questioned, her voice absolutely trusting. "Not even once? You've been totally faithful to me?"

Derek grinned down at his girlfriend, loving the fact that he could tell her the truth, and not be ashamed of it. He loved being able to come home, and look her straight in the eye as he gave her the same answer time and time again. He had been tempted by girls throughout the past six months of course; he would be lying if he said he hadn't been. Several girls had offered him nights together, dates, and so much more, but he could always turn them away happily, because he always had Casey to come home to.

"Of course I've been faithful to you," he said, nodding his head as he squeezed her gently to him. "Baby, I love you. I've never cheated on you, and I swear to God I never will. Sure, I've been lonely without you, but if staying faithful means I can keep that smile on your face, then it's so worth it. Do you hear me? Nothing is more important to me than keeping you happy."

She relaxed against him as she let the meaning of his words settle in. She had the boy completely wrapped up in her, and she knew that Derek wasn't going to go anywhere. He was in her life to stay now, and she knew that he was the guy that she was supposed to end up with, in the end. Everything they had gone through three years before had been nothing but a test of fate, a measure of how strong their love was, and they had definitely survived it. Sure, there had been lots of pain, both physical and emotional, but they had gotten through all of it, and were now more in love than they had ever been before. She hadn't thought that it had been possible to love him more than she had during their first eight months of dating, before the accident, but it became obvious soon after that she had been wrong, that her love could stretch so much farther for him. And now, because of everything that they had gone through, and how hard he had fought for her, they were stronger than ever, and she was so happy with that.

Derek, too, had actually grown to see the accident, and the memory loss, as something of a gift, that had proved to strengthen and improve their relationship. He loved her more than he ever had before, and he was pretty sure that it was because he had gone for so long without her. Absence really does make the heart grow fonder, and between their breakup, and the three years that he had spent in California without her, their love was at an all time high. There wasn't a day that went by that he didn't stop to appreciate the fact that he had her. He didn't go a single day without telling her he loved her, even if it was over the phone. She meant way too much to him to ever consider ending things, and their time apart had proved to him that they were meant to be together.

"There's not a single girl in this world that's worth cheating on you," he whispered, his lips coming closer to hers as he felt soft strands of her hair tickling his face. "You're special, and you're mine, and if any guy so much as lays a finger on you, you know I'll kick their ass."

Casey smiled at the memory of how much Derek had stood by her, during the month that he had come home, before university, to attend the trial, and try his hardest to get Max sentenced. He had spoken in Casey's defense, and he hadn't left out a single detail of anything that had happened during the first relationship that Casey and Max had shared, and whatever had happened afterwards. He had done everything in his power to ensure that the bastard who had possessed the nerve to lay a finger on his girl. Max had been sentenced to three years in prison for abuse and assault, and an additional three years for rape. Derek was quite confident in the fact that Casey would never have to deal with that arrogant bastard again. He had already served two and a half years of his prison sentence, but he still had a good three and a half years to go. By that time, he trusted that Max wouldn't even think of touching her. He knew the consequences of messing with Derek's girl.

Derek combed his fingers through her hair, sighing with content as he glanced around the room, raising an eyebrow.

"I guess this is home for me now, huh?" he asked, laughing quietly. "How long ago did you move in here?"

"Three months," she said, as she had moved out of her last apartment shortly after his list visit. "I moved all the stuff you kept here last time into the spare room, but you can put it in my closet, if you want, since we're sharing that room now anyways."

"Mmm," he said, nodding his head in agreement as he leaned forwards, his forehead pressed against hers. "You look beautiful today, did I tell you that?"

"Only a hundred times," she laughed, her hands brushing against his cheeks softly. "But you can just... remind me, or whatever. I promise you I don't mind."

He kissed her forehead, and pulled back, smiling fondly at her.

"Yep," he said, studying her carefully as he nodded his head. She frowned with confusion, and he shrugged, his lips turning up in a tiny smirk. "I was just thinking; you've always looked better in my arms than you did in Max's."

Her eyes flickered with fear for one brief moment, at the mention of her abusive ex-boyfriend's name. It was only there for a second, before it disappeared again, and she was relaxing back into her boyfriend's arms. She wasn't scared of Max anymore; she knew he couldn't do anything else to hurt her, and she knew that, if he tried, Derek was there to protect her from him. But the mere mention of his name usually sent chills up her spine, and she really hated talking about the guy. Derek must have sensed this, for he shook his head, wincing slightly.

"I didn't mean to bring up any bad memories, but I mean... I'm just saying; you never belonged with him."

She nodded her head, understanding completely where he was coming from.

"Don't worry," she said, her voice reassuring. "I know what you meant. And I couldn't agree more."

There was something in his eyes then, and she just knew that he had something more to add. He looked skeptical, but when she placed her hand on his cheek, he relaxed, and took a deep breath, looking her right in the eye.

"I've always wondered something," he said reluctantly, biting his lip. She nodded, motioning for him to go on, and he looked her right in the eye as he continued. "I mean, I know you couldn't help losing your memory, or anything, but there's something I've always had to question."

She frowned, moving closer to her; she really didn't understand where he was going with this, but his voice sounded almost guilty.

"Yeah?" she questioned, her voice a little bit nervous. "And what's that?"

Looking her in the eye, he bit his lip, and sighed, shrugging his shoulders.

"I just don't understand how you didn't feel anything for me," he admitted, blushing slightly. "I mean, if you love me so much... why couldn't you feel anything at all towards me? Don't you think it'd be more of an emotional thing, rather than something to remember?"

Casey thought for a moment, but it took her sooner than he had anticipated to respond, and she spoke up almost instantly.

"That's something that I've questioned myself, from time to time," she admitted, and he raised an eyebrow with surprise. "I think that... somewhere, there was always feelings for you inside of me. I mean, there was always something that stopped me from sleeping with Max, all those times he tried to pressure me into it. And I think it was mainly because it didn't feel right, because I wasn't with the right person. And besides that, I always felt the need to give you another chance. I mean, Max told me to just forget about you, and everything in my mind told me to just ignore everything you were saying, and pay attention ro my own life. But something in my heart... it just wouldn't let me freeze you out of my life, like I had before. You were just a part of me, I guess. And I... I'm glad I didn't give up on you, 'cause if I had, we wouldn't be here today."

He smiled, lacing his fingers with hers as he looked her right in the eye, nodding.

"There's nobody else I'd rather be with, babe," he assured her, his heart beating madly in his chest, just for her. "You and me, forever. I promise you, as long as you want it, too."

"You know I do," she said, laughing as she brought her lips to his, kissing him softly. He eagerly kissed her back, closing his eyes to make sure that he could capture every thought that was going through his head right about now. Every feeling that passed through his mind was nothing but pure affection and devotion for the girl next to him, lying in his arms so happily. He loved Casey, and he knew that nothing could ever change that. There was no girl better for him than Casey, and he felt no shame in saying so.

Pulling back, he combed his fingers through her hair, feeling happier than he had in the past six months, during the time in which he had been seperated from the most important person in his life. He hated those long absences from her more than anything, but he was home for good now, and he intended on making every last moment count. He knew all too well how it felt to live without her, and if it was up to him, he would never lose her ever again. He'd keep her happy for the rest of her life, and he could definitely promise that.

"I love you," he said, smiling at her. His voice was completely honest, and if there was anything that he was one hundred percent sure on, it would definitely be the three words he had just spoken to her. And as she repeated those three words back to him, he felt like laughing. Nothing was funny, nothing was amusing, but he found this whole situation to be something worth laughing over. He could think of all the times that he had figured he'd never hold her like this again, and now, it seemed foolish to even think that she wouldn't have come back to him, in the end. He should've known that, if their love was strong enough, everything would work itself out. He should've known that they'd find their way back to each other in the end.

He knew that they had years upon years of life ahead of them, all of which he planned on spending with Casey, if at all possible. The promise ring that lay on her finger, which Derek had given to her a few months after they had gotten back together, would eventually be replaced by an engagement ring. He was already saving up money to buy one for her. He was taking his time; he knew he had nothing to worry about. He wasn't in a big hurry for her to make some huge promise to him. She had really made that promise ages ago, even if the confirmation had not been verbalized. She was staying in his life. He knew that she felt the exact same way about him as he did about her, and because of that, he knew that he had absolutely nothing to worry about. Casey wasn't going anywhere. When the time felt right, he'd propose to her, but there was no need to rush things. They had tons of time to plan the rest of their lives.

Because really, it wasn't like they were planning on leaving each other anytime soon.

* * *

**And that, my friends, is the end of this story! Thanks to everyone who reviewed, and I hope you enjoyed it. Review one last time, please! -Big Smile- Expect more from me soon. Thanks for reading. **


	30. Alternative

**I am going to be posting a one-shot piece that is directly related to this story. It's basically a "What If" type scenario. I want to state that this is a one-shot. I really don't have it in me for a full blown sequel. **

**This is an alternate ending sort of deal, I guess. I had some writer's block, and when I started writing, this is what came out. I wasn't complaining; I loved writing Alyssa, and alot of the one-shot revolves around her actions. **

**Anyway, for refreshment, this basically takes place after chapter 22 in Into the Night. So it'd be like if you stopped at the end of 22, and never went any further into that plot. **

**It will be up within the next day or so, so keep an eye out, and let me know if you're going to be interested in reading it through a review or PM. **

**Thanks! I know this was out of the blue! **


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